Cursed
by IzumiTheMoogle
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha acquiring the Curse Mark was something horrible; Orochimaru's plans for him were almost clearly in view. But... what if someone else in Squad Seven was cursed? And what if this curse was different than the last one? -CHAPTER 26 UP AT LAST!-
1. Daily Routine

"Aw, come on Sensei…. Just ONE technique!!" Naruto begged his teacher for what seemed like the billionth time.

Sakura groaned, punching Naruto upside the head, "Come on Naruto! You're so stupid! Kakashi sensei's told you like a thousand times that he wasn't going to!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head nervously as Naruto shot his head back up after Sakura had clobbered it down, "But Sensei, you taught Sasuke Chidori! Why can't you teach me something cool?!"

The same reason he gave every time. Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, Sakura's right… Not today. Sorry. I don't think you're quite ready to learn Chidori anyway."

Now it was Naruto's turn to groan, "Oh, come ON! Are you totally serious right now? How could Sasuke be more 'ready' than me?!"

"Idiot!" Sakura said, rising her fist again. Naruto flinched, even though she didn't hit him, "Sasuke's way stronger than you!!" She turned to her love interest with a blushing face, "Isn't that right Sasuke?"

And he responded with his usual 'hmph', as Kakashi had expected. As well as some comment about Naruto being a loser, which still wasn't anything new. Kakashi sighed again as the three of them started bickering as usual.

"_These guys_…" He thought tiredly, "_I really do think they'll drive me insane one day._"

Deciding to take his life into his own hands, Kakashi interrupted their fights to tell them that training was over for that day. He wearily headed home, looking forward to reading Make-Out Tactics for… What was it? The 36th time? Ah, he didn't care. Kakashi wasn't counting. He just needed something to get his mind off his tiredness. Tsunade had him out on missions almost nonstop, so he hadn't had too much time to spend with his squad. Not that he minded TOO much; it was kind of nice to get away from their bickering every once and a while…

However, going on S-Ranked missions all day wasn't exactly the Jounin's idea of 'relaxing', and listening to Squad 7 bicker on one of his limited days off wasn't a very favorable thing.

"Sensei!" Naruto called after him, the sound of his sandals clapping excitedly on the pavement.

"Hm?" Kakashi glanced around, and saw his student running eagerly up to him. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever Naruto would tell and/or ask (most feasibly ask) him, "What is it, Naruto?"

"Why won't you really teach me that jutsu, Sensei?" He asked, his expression surprisingly serious.

This question caught Kakashi off guard, "What do you mean?" He inquired, turning fully around to face Naruto.

"I mean, you keep on putting it off, but you've never actually given me a straight answer. Why? Why can't you teach me something new?"

"Well…" Kakashi started, "It's a little hard to describe… Your Rasengan. You would say that's your trump card, right? Your 'ultimate jutsu' of sorts?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Chidori's like Sasuke's trump card. Get it? So you two are pretty much even in that department. You both have an ace in the hole."

"Well, I suppose I get that…" The blond shinobi crossed his arms, "But why can't I learn both Rasengan and Chidori?"

"You're not ready yet Naruto," Kakashi sighed, shaking his head at the over-excited ninja. He pivoted around and started walking again when he heard Naruto let out a frustrated puff of breath.

"But Sensei? WHY? What do I have to do?"

Kakashi paused for a moment, "… When you've decided to be patient with the world …"

"Huh?" Naruto stood, confused, as his teacher walked away, "Patient with the world? What does he mean by that?" He mumbled.

Kakashi shook his head as he heard Naruto mumble. That kid still had a long way to go…

Though Kakashi had the utmost faith in all his students, sometimes- though it was actually most all the time –he worried about them. Most notably he worried about Naruto. It seemed that, even though he was getting stronger all the time, Naruto still had the mindset of a kid. Though that kid had a heart of gold, Kakashi was concerned that someday real life would smack him right in the face, and he wouldn't be ready for it.

"_Oh well_…" The Jounin thought tiredly, "_He'll learn someday_…"

Kakashi was surprised to find a note taped to his door as he approached his apartment.

"Kakashi –

Meet me at the training field as soon as you get finished with your students' training; it's time for another hot blooded test of our youth! See you there!

-Gai"

Kakashi unloaded all of the stress of his day into one long and drawn-out sigh. As if he even had to read the name of who left him such a note. Gai. Ugh. Just what this day needed. But…

He couldn't just ignore this. If he did, Gai would be bothering him about it for the rest of his life. That was one fly he didn't want constantly buzzing around his face.

"Well, looks like I'm headed to the training field," He mumbled ruefully, turning around for what he expected to just be another bother to his day.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! Thank you all for reading my stories, and if you review I'll love you forever!! Well, not really because I don't know you guys and that would be kinda creepy… But still! **

**Sorry this story starts out so slow! I promise the next chapter will pick up the pace! **


	2. The Enemy Reveals Himself!

"What is it now, Gai?" Kakashi asked his 'rival' when he had arrived at the Training Field. Konoha's 'Green Beast' was doing push-ups feverishly as he arrived.

"Ah, Kakashi!" Gai flipped up to his feet and flashed one of his trademark toothy grins, "I'm glad you came! It's time for another contest between you and me, my Eternal Rival!"

Kakashi's expression grew even more stoic, though it would seem that was impossible, "Does it have to be now, Gai? I've had kind of a long week…"

"And what better way to relieve your stress than a little hot-blooded competition?"

"Uh, no offense, but that's kind of not what I had in mind for relaxing."

Suddenly, Kakashi's eye shot to the side, his pose stiffening.

"What's wrong?" Gai asked, aware of his friend's discomfort.

"We have a visitor…" Kakashi replied coolly, his eyes still fixated on the area of forest he had looked to.

"My, my… Aren't we as alert as ever? Things never change, do they Kakashi?" A figure stepped out of the shadows, a tight smirk pulled across their lips.

Gai's eyes widened, "Orochimaru!!!"

Kakashi whipped out a kunai from his pouch swiftly, staring down Orochimaru with the iciest glare he could muster, "What do you want?" He spat venomously.

"You're certainly quick to the point, aren't you?" Orochimaru chuckled, a curved smile spreading across his face. He put a hand to his chin.

"Are you after Sasuke again?" Kakashi asked, gripping his kunai tighter.

The last time he encountered Orochimaru, Kakashi had just finished sealing Sasuke's curse mark. Like an idiot, he tried to face him by himself, and if Orochimaru was serious, Kakashi knew he would have been killed. He quickly eyed Gai. They would have some more of a chance if there were two of them.

But still, the fact he just appeared out of nowhere was odd… And why in front of them?

"Perhaps," Orochimaru chuckled, like Kakashi had asked him some sort of trick question, "But he's seeming more and more of a troublesome thing to get a hold of… Isn't he?" His eyes flashed up to meet the two Jounin, who immediately tensed up.

"_I don't like this_…" Kakashi thought uneasily, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"You should escape while you can," Gai sneered, "Security around here has been especially tight lately. We'll catch you."

Orochimaru chuckled again, "Will you now? Then I guess I'd better hurry… You see, since Sasuke is becoming rather difficult to get a hold of, I've generated a 'Plan B' of sorts, to use just in case he didn't quite work out."

"Plan B?" Kakashi repeated in almost a whisper.

"That's right," Orochimaru's crooked smile grew even more, "For another one I've had my eyes on for some time…"

…………………………………………………………..

"Man, I can't believe Sensei still won't teach me that jutsu…" Naruto mumbled as he walked down one of the many streets of Konoha with his teammates.

"Will you please stop whining about that?" Sakura moaned, "Jeez, you haven't stopped all day! Kakashi sensei probably has a very good reason why he doesn't teach you Chidori, okay?? So stop being so stupid about it!"

Naruto crossed his arms, "He's just avoiding it if you ask me."

"And if you keep on pestering him about it, what do think he'll keep saying?" Sasuke huffed, "Pfft. Loser…"

"Oh, stop acting so cool, Sasuke! You jerk!" Naruto yelled.

"Hmph, whatever," Sasuke turned the other way, when suddenly a pierce and throbbing pain shot to his neck, "?!" He quickly grabbed his neck and squeezed his eyes shut, suppressing a cry.

"Sasuke…!?" Sakura was the first to notice, and the first to become afraid when she remembered his curse mark. She was by his side in a moment.

"Sasuke??" Naruto's eyes widened. He had no knowledge of his friend's injury, though he was still as equally concerned as Sakura. A cold wind whipped past his face, and he looked behind him in apprehension.

"_W-What's this feeling…?_" He thought anxiously, staring back behind him, "_It's almost like…. Death…._"

Sasuke's thoughts swam wildly in his mind as Sakura tried to soothe him by talking to him, "_There's no doubt about it… He's here. But why?? What does he want?_"

**Author's Note:**

**Ooh, sorry about making this chapter short too guys, but I wanted to end on a cliffhanger so you guys didn't know who Orochimaru was talking about yet! **

**Hope you're all enjoying it still and I hope the plot progressed to your likings with this one! **

**I hope to make the upcoming chapters longer with more detail, but this is a work in progress, so bear with me!**

**Read n' Review!**


	3. Fatal

The situation was grim any way Kakashi looked at it. Even if Orochimaru wasn't after Sasuke- which the Jounin was grateful for –he was after someone else. And that worried him greatly. Unfortunately, the option of launching right in to attack the snake bastard was not smart at all. Kakashi and Gai would both be killed most likely, and Orochimaru would still win.

A nasty taste liquefied in Kakashi's mouth.

"What's the matter, Kakashi?" Orochimaru caught the Copy Ninja's death glare and a light gleamed in his eyes for a moment, "I haven't even unveiled who my lucky winner is yet."

Kakashi scoffed at the man, not even bothering to respond. He knew that his anger would only make Orochimaru happier to kill him.

"Ooh, what a nasty look," Orochimaru cooed, "… Excellent," He whispered as he put his hands in the sign of the tiger.

Suddenly, a group of vines shot out from the brush and latched onto Gai firmly, pulling him back with unthinkable force and slamming him to a tree, without giving him much time for even a grunt.

"Gai!" Kakashi called out to his friend, turning his head to the right and beginning to move towards the green beast in a motion to cut the vines away.

"?!" Gai jerked his head up just in time to see Orochimaru's neck extend grossly, white fangs glimmering inside of lips curved into a nasty smile, "Kakashi! Look out!!"

As the Copy Ninja started to turn back around to the left, he felt something extremely sharp make contact with his left collarbone. His eyes widened in frozen shock as he realized that Orochimaru was latched onto his shoulder. With a single chuckle, the Sannin pulled back in seconds, his neck now resting comfortably on his body. Cloth from Kakashi's shirt and vest were torn off effortlessly, showcasing the two bite marks now resting on the man's collarbone.

Gai pulled at the vines feverishly in a rush of adrenaline, snapping them in two and dashing over to Kakashi.

_BU-BUMP! BU-BUMP!_

Kakashi cried out in agony and clutched his neck with his left hand, falling to his knees as he felt the wound pulse through his collar. Gai was at his side in a moment.

"Kakashi!! What's wrong?! What did he-" The Jounin froze as his eyes locked onto his ally's wound. Three sharp lines of black swirled together in a circular pattern, and with a numb sensation in the pit of his throat, Gai knew what Orochimaru had done.

His teeth gnashed together as his ice cold glare met Orochimaru's amused smirk, "A curse mark?! You bastard!!"

Orochimaru shoulders shook slightly with laughter, "It's called the Hell Curse Mark. I made it myself, though I'm not quite sure if I have all the bugs sorted out or not," His eyes locked with Gai's, which sent a shudder down the Jounin's spine, "He has 24 hours. If Kakashi can't survive that, well… I must say I'll be disappointed. However, if- and hopefully when –he wakes up, tell him this: he can't escape. Now that he wears that mark, Kakashi belongs to me."

Gai's eyes widened as Orochimaru finished his morbid statement and then seemed to just disappear in a flurry of leaves, "_What does this mean, damn it?!"_ He thought uneasily, "_What do I-"_

His thoughts were interrupted abruptly when a cry of agony ripped out of Kakashi's throat. Every muscle in Gai's body tensed when he heard this. It was such a foreign sound. The Copy Ninja NEVER screamed like that! It was the most gut wrenching noise he had ever heard in his life. With a pained realization, Gai found that Kakashi was going to hover on the verge of death. Soon, the man fell limp in Gai's hold like a lifeless doll.

All of the color drained out of his face, "Kakashi!!!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he scooped Kakashi up in his arms and sprinted to the Hospital as fast as he could possibly go. He didn't know if the doctors there could help, but he had to try. He had to do something! His friend's life was on the line. God forbid Kakashi actually died. No. That wouldn't happen. Gai wouldn't let it.

"_Just hold on Kakashi…"_ Gai thought determinedly as he felt the man cringe in pain again in his grasp, "_Don't give in to Orochimaru; you're stronger than that!"_

**Author's Note:**

**Hey everyone! So sorry for the long wait! But Ch. 3 is up and Ch. 4 is coming soon! **

**This one also wasn't particularly long, but I wanted it just to focus on the attack.**

**Please read and review! Hope you're enjoying it so far!**


	4. Complete And Utter Hell

Nervous habits were things that Maito Gai usually frowned upon. Needless to say because of his obvious "all-out" attitude towards life and just about every situation he was in, he never developed anything like that. However, sitting in the emergency ward of Konoha's Hospital waiting for a diagnosis on a close friend of his that he was already sure wasn't going to be good, Gai couldn't help but twiddle his thumbs anxiously.

Every now and then he would glance up at the clock on the wall opposite of him and sigh, wondering how much longer it would take for the medics to finish their job. He also tended to glance at the door with the bright red light lit up at the top, waiting impatiently for it to go off, though a part of him didn't want it to. He didn't want to hear about Kakashi's mark; Orochimaru had undoubtedly told him everything he needed to know about it. He just wanted to know that Kakashi was alive. That he was _breathing. _

What worried him almost more than the time limit that had been put on his friend's life was what Orochimaru had said before he fled:

"_Kakashi belongs to me."_

Gai shuddered as he remembered the tone of almost pleasure that the Sannin had held when saying that last gruesome phrase. He couldn't imagine a more awful torture than "belonging" to a snake like Orochimaru. He swore that as long as he lived, he wouldn't let that creep touch Kakashi.

………………………………………..

Sasuke let out a shaky sigh as the pain in his neck subsided. He opened his eyes slowly and took his hand off his mark.

"Sasuke…" Sakura's voice held the utmost concern as she put a hand on his back.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked worriedly, crouching down by his friend.

"Fine," He replied, shrugging off Sakura's hand and standing up, "I'm fine…" He started walking ahead at a quicker pace than before, as if he were concentrating on something.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, "Are you sure tha-"

"Give it a rest, Naruto. I told you I'm fine," The Uchiha interrupted in a mildly annoyed tone, not even glancing around to reassure his worried teammates.

He didn't care though. Even if he did admit that he wasn't fine, which he _wasn't, _they wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. Besides, the last thing that Sasuke wanted to have happen was Naruto to find out about his curse mark. The loser wouldn't leave him alone about it if he knew. He'd probably just go running off to that snake bastard. Sasuke stopped himself at that thought, not even wanting to think about what would happen to Naruto then.

"Sasuke…" Sakura muttered worriedly, looking at him desolately. What could she do for him? "_He must be in such pain…"_ She thought. She looked over at Naruto, clearly seeing the confusion and worry on his face. The best thing she could do would be to just act as if nothing really was wrong.

"Come on Naruto. Sasuke knows what he feels," She said quickly, catching Naruto's attention before he raced ahead to catch his friend. She smiled at him- doing the best she could to, at least – "Don't worry. If he says he's fine, I think we should trust his judgment."

Slowly Naruto nodded, smiling –albeit nervously- at Sakura, "Yeah, guess you're right." With one last look at Sasuke, Naruto sighed, trying to dismiss the worries that still lingered in his mind.

"Come on," Sakura said encouragingly, "We should go home."

"… Yeah…"

But Naruto wasn't an idiot, contrary to popular belief. There was definitely something wrong with Sasuke, and Sakura knew what. He would too, soon. There was no shaking off this apprehensive feeling he had, so he decided to take care of it once and for all.

Tonight he would go to Sasuke's and get some answers.

……………………………………….

Gai shot up from his seat on the Hospital bench as the light above Kakashi's room went out and Tsunade stepped out, looking forlorn and exhausted.

"Well?" He asked, almost desperately, "Can you do anything?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her words made Gai's face fall: "No. We can't… At least not right now…" She looked back up at him, "We can't get rid of curse marks, and this is a brand new one. We don't really know what's its capable of besides what you've told us. And by what you said, it sounds like it's quite capable of killing Kakashi."

Gai cast his eyes down, scrutinizing the situation for any possible loopholes. Unfortunately, he found none… Orochimaru's plan was completely black and white: he lived or he died. And the way Gai saw it, either option was not a winning one for Kakashi. If the curse mark was too strong, he would die. If he out-did the mark, Orochimaru would claim him as his own. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Now we can only hope that Kakashi finds the strength to overcome this," Tsunade said, looking down at the floor, almost looking through it, "And please God, let him find it…"

Looking at the double doors that led into Kakashi's room, Gai knew: for the next 24 hours, Kakashi would be in complete hell.

……………………………………….

Kakashi writhed in pain on his Hospital bed, gripping the white sheets until his knuckles matched their color almost flawlessly. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. It had only been five hours since the damned mark was put on him, and yet the pain was already beyond anything he had ever endured before.

Just barely, he could make out the blurry figures clad in white standing amidst the room, murmuring to each other. They might have been talking at a normal volume, but Kakashi couldn't judge anything correctly at this point. Nor did he care to.

Tsunade had probably put them in the room with him just in case… Well... _When _he started to take a turn for the worst. But Kakashi didn't even want to comprehend what agony he was to go through.

Hour 10…

He felt beads of sweat roll down his face as the mark continued to pulse on his neck, sending shockwaves of pain throughout his body until he started to become numb from it. His own heart was not heard through this pain, but felt. It was beating heavily, trying to outmatch the opposing force. Kakashi was almost jerking in his bed with every beat.

Hour 20…

Every beat of his throbbing heart caused Kakashi to feel like the world's gravity was crushing him, and the rhythm of the curse mark did not stop. It grew faster and faster. Soon Kakashi found that his lungs weren't taking in enough air. He started gasping for breath, desperately searching for air that seemed to be leaving him.

Doctors were flying around the room, fussing over Kakashi and hooking up machines to pump oxygen back into his system. The clatter of medical equipment and hum of machinery was loud to the Jounin. Too loud. He moaned audibly, though he had no air for it, which made the noise just increase.

_Make it stop…_

"Hurry! Get the oxygen flowing, now!!"

"He's not taking it in!!"

_Please…_

"Patient is not responding!"

"Turn up the oxygen!! Put it up as high as it will go!"

_No more… Pain…_

"Pulse fading!!"

"Get the Hokage in here, NOW!!"

_I can't… Take it…_

"We're losing him!! Hurry!!!"

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry, this update took longer than expected!**

**I was really happy with all of the reviews I've gotten so far! Thank you very much everyone! I hope this story is living up to your expectations! :)**


	5. The Diagnosis

_Knock, knock, knock._

Sasuke lifted his head up and glanced over to his apartment door. Mildly annoyed, he wondered why anyone would be knocking on his door now of all times. With an aggravated thought, the Uchiha realized that there was only one person who would be knocking now… And by the ferocity of the knocking, he was sure he was right in his assumption of a certain orange-clad pain-in-the-ass shinobi.

_Knock knock knock knock!_

Man, that idiot was persistent…

Realizing that he would NOT give up his onslaught of knocks, Sasuke reluctantly went to open the door. He met Naruto with an uninterested darkness to his face: "What do you want, Naruto?" He stated this with enthusiasm to match his expression.

"I want to talk to you," Naruto said firmly, his own expression being completely serious.

Sasuke half-rolled his eyes, "You want to _talk_ to me?? Yeah, right… Are you jo-"

"This isn't a joke, damn it," Naruto growled, frustrated that Sasuke couldn't take him seriously, "There's something bad going on with you that you and Sakura aren't telling me about."

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," Sasuke replied coldly, "My business is my business. Sakura doesn't know the half of it."

Of course she knew more than half of it… She was right there when Sasuke got the damned mark. But he didn't want Naruto to know anything about it.

"Well she knows something!" Naruto retorted, "I could tell she was trying to hide something from me! I'm not an idiot!"

Sasuke clenched his teeth together. Why wouldn't he just drop it?! Couldn't he see that it would be better for him if he didn't know?? "It's neither hers nor YOUR concern," He spat.

"How is it not our concern?!" Naruto said through gritted teeth, "You're our friend! Part of our squad! We have every right to-"

"What kind of rights do you have?! What if you couldn't do anything, even if something WAS wrong?! What good would knowing bring??"

Naruto was in a quiet rage for a moment while he took in what Sasuke said, "… We would find a way," He said slowly.

"A way?? Sasuke seemed to be getting angrier by the second.

"Yes, a way!! A way to help you!"

Finally, Sasuke decided to give. Not all the way, but just a little. This was making him furious. Why could Naruto not understand that:

"You would be in _life-threatening_ danger, alright?!" Naruto seemed shocked by this. Sasuke continued, "I know you; anyone has a problem and you just jump right in! You don't even think about the consequences! Like an idiot!! If you just jumped in headfirst to this," He finished slowly and succinctly, "You would be _annihilated!_"

Naruto blinked in surprise. Sasuke was still fuming after he had finished his angry statement, "Sasuke, I…" No words would come out. But this only made him want to help even more! Why was Sasuke so concerned about telling him anything?! Was it really because of what he had just said?? Was he _concerned_?

"Just leave…" Sasuke let out a puff of air, turning away from Naruto and making to close his door.

"Hurry!! Get to the Hospital!"

The two shinobi looked to the side at hearing an apprehensive voice. They didn't have to wait long for an explanation of what was so urgently wrong though.

"What's going on? What happened?" Another voice answered the first. It seemed the voices were coming from a nearby apartment.

"There's an extremely critical case!" The first voice answered, "The Hokage needs all the doctors she can get!"

"Lord, when did this happen? Who is it?!"

As the two of them leapt down the floors of the apartment complex, the first medic answered the second:

"Kakashi Hatake!"

Naruto and Sasuke froze in their spots. What did they just hear?

"D-Did they say…" Naruto turned to Sasuke urgently, worry etched all over his face, "Kakashi-sensei was in… Critical condition??"

Sasuke felt a bead of sweat drop down his face as he scrutinized the short conversation the two medics had, "… If the Hokage had to call for more doctors, then he must be in an extremely serious condition…" His voice almost shook as he thought of his sensei nearing death.

"Let's go!" Naruto said feverishly, followed by a quick nod from Sasuke. They dashed to the Hospital as fast as they could.

Needless to say, Sasuke's curse mark was quickly forgotten.

………………………………………….

"L-Lady Hokage, that was amazing…" A shaky and tired doctor fell to his behind on a nearby chair.

Tsunade, also looking quite fatigued, looked upon the unconscious body of Kakashi with discomfort, "… No, it wasn't… We almost lost him…"

"But we didn't," Shizune wiped her forehead with her sleeve, smiling weakly, "And he's stable for now."

The Hokage sighed, glancing around at the drained doctors and then back at Kakashi, who still had the oxygen mask pulled around his face. He probably wouldn't have liked that they pulled off his mask, "… That's true, I suppose…" She thought back to late the previous day, when Naruto and Sasuke came bursting into the Hospital.

"_Granny!!" Naruto yelled, looking up at her with an extremely apprehensive gaze, "How's Kakashi-sensei?! Where is he?!"_

"_Calm down Naruto," Tsunade said, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. She sighed sadly, which made the boy shiver in fright sadly, "He's in the emergency care unit… I'm afraid he's not doing so well."_

_His face fell. Tsunade noticed Sasuke cast his eyes to the floor and clench his fists. Her heart felt empathy for them. Not being able to do anything while a loved one was suffering was a horrible thing. _

"_What happened to him?" Sasuke's voice was full of icy contempt, as if Sasuke was already plotting the downfall of Kakashi's attacker. _

"_He was…" Tsunade searched for the right words. She couldn't tell them Orochimaru did it. That would just set the fuse; especially given Sasuke's already marked condition, "Attacked… By an enemy ninja."_

_Sasuke eyed Tsunade carefully. He was a smart kid. She knew he most likely figured out she was hiding things. But he also was smart enough to not try to pry. At least not then._

_Naruto bit his lip, thinking of a way, any way, that he could help his sensei. Tsunade seemed to read his thoughts. _

"… _The only thing you can do now Naruto…" She turned around and walked back down the hall, "Is hope." _

_The Hokage could almost feel their sorrow on her back as she walked away. Her chest felt tight suddenly. She didn't like the fact that she could offer them no condolences, but there really was nothing they could do…_

"You know, Naruto and Sasuke were here a good portion of the night," Shizune said, eyes clouding over with a mix of sadness and compassion, "Eventually I had to tell them to go home because I knew Kakashi wouldn't be getting any better that quickly…"

Tsunade shook her head, "Why?" Looking back down at Kakashi's still suffering face one more time, she turned around and made to go out the door.

"Lady Tsunade? Where are you going?" Shizune asked curiously.

"… I'm tired…" She mumbled before beginning to leave, "Shizune, make sure there is always a team of doctors in here. He has to be carefully monitored."

"Yes, ma'am."

"_Why, Orochimaru?!" _Tsunade thought angrily as she made her way out of the Hospital. She had to go back to the Tower. To think this over. Though this entire situation was just crazy to her, "_You already have the last Uchiha marked… Why would you do this to Kakashi? The leader of that very squad?!"_

Nothing made sense anymore. She felt completely helpless. What could she do for Kakashi?? She had already let yet another ninja get hurt by that snake bastard; the least she could do for her village was to make sure the Copy Ninja stayed as far away from Orochimaru as possible.

And she feared that would be much harder than anyone would anticipate.

………………………………………

Gai had gone about with his usual business that next day, though the Copy Ninja weighed heavily on his mind. No doubt his students noticed that he lacked his usual fervor for the "flame of youth". However, he just shook them off, saying he had kind of a rough night.

Yeah. _He_ had a rough night.

Gai left the Hospital before Naruto and Sasuke even came. He didn't want to stay, knowing that Kakashi would be going through the fight of his life. Somehow he thought that being away from the problem would help ease his mind, but it wouldn't'. He also had to be the one who told a curious Asuma and Kurenai about the situation.

"Kakashi has a curse mark?!" Asuma sputtered, actually letting the cigarette in his mouth drop to the ground.

Gai nodded solemnly.

"But why?" Kurenai asked in a horrified voice, "Why would Orochimaru mark him?"

"He said it was for his 'Plan B'," Gai said with disgust.

Asuma and Kurenai both shared anxious glances. They, like Gai, had started thinking about what being Orochimaru's Plan B would entail. And it was nothing good; especially for Kakashi.

"How is he now?" Asuma asked with concern.

"I haven't been in to see him recently, but…" Gai looked up at them, "I know that he's probably been through hell."

The two Jounin cast their eyes down sadly, searching for a way that they could possibly help their friend.

But, like Gai, they knew all they could do was hope his strength pulled him through this.

**Author's Notes:**

**I wanna thank you guys for being such awesome reviewers! I really appreciate that you're reading and liking my story so far! I've had a lot of fun writing it!**

**So, yeah, keep on readin' and reviewin', and I'll keep on updating! Thanks again! You guys are my inspiration to write more! **

**Sorry this chapter took so long; Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload it! O.o Dunno why… Anyway, I hope you're all still enjoying it!**


	6. Kakashi sensei

Kakashi's eyes opened blurrily. Trying to take in his surroundings, he found that he couldn't because of an unknown numbness that seemed to occupy every fiber of his being. Exhaustion. That was there too. Definitely. The Copy Ninja made to moan from the soreness of his body, but found that he was too tired to do even that. Instead, he settled for sighing mentally, wondering if the hell he had been through was over yet…

Probably not, he wagered.

Knowing Orochimaru, the fight had just begun. Especially since Kakashi had actually lived through that whole ordeal. He had no doubt that the unbearable pain was something the snake bastard wanted to have happen. He closed his eyes momentarily, though it was probably a bad idea. His lids still felt heavy enough to just stay down and make him fall asleep.

Suddenly, Kakashi noticed something out of place… Was… There a draft in the room? No. There couldn't be; there were no windows! But then… Why was his face so cold? …Wait… When Kakashi finally came to the correct realization, he unfortunately couldn't even do anything to fix it. His arms still didn't have any strength to move to his face.

"_Well… It's all water under the bridge now…"_ He thought dully after he recognized that his mask was pulled down to his chin, and thereby not occupying the spot on his face that it usually did.

Though somehow, the fact that the doctors- and the Hokage –must have seen his face bothered him some… He didn't know why. It must have been because _nobody_ saw him with that thing off. His students- especially Naruto –had even tried numerous times to de-mask him, and failed miserably each time.

Kakashi had to admit that their attempts amused him. They were certainly trying. And it wouldn't be any fun if he just let them out the easy way by showing them his actual face.

Kakashi's thoughts came back to his current situation as he wondered about his squad. Had they already been notified of his… Current situation? He hoped not. If there was one thing that Kakashi Hatake hated, it was having the people he cared about worried about him. He already felt bad enough for Gai, having seeing him like that.

Kakashi could only imagine the enormous stress this mark of his would bring to Squad Seven; especially Sasuke. His eyes- well, eye –narrowed at that thought. Sasuke had already been through the pain of a curse mark, so the Jounin's current situation would definitely bother him a lot.

His stomach tightened as he thought of the utter agony that he had been through the previous night. Is that what Sasuke had to go through when he got his?? God, how did he survive? He was strong, that kid…

Nevertheless, Kakashi felt a low wrench of guilt for the boy's mark. That pain should never be brought upon anyone. He wouldn't have been to do anything, since it was during the Chuunin Exams, and he couldn't interfere, but… He felt irritated that the only thing he could do for Sasuke was seal up his mark and hope for the best.

Kakashi sighed, surprised to have enough energy to even do that. All this thinking was wearing him out…

Suddenly he heard doors open, followed by a pair of footsteps. He made to turn his head, but then settled just for shifting his eyes when he remembered that he couldn't move well.

Tsunade walked up to him solemn-faced, "Kakashi, I'm glad to see you're-" She stopped midsentence, staring at him with her mouth still open, a light shade of pink crossing her features.

It took him a moment to process why she was staring, but then smiled, chuckling, though it was quiet. Tsunade noticed this and cleared her throat, the pink on her face turning to red as she snapped her mouth shut and pried her eyes away from him for a moment, though she had to admit; it was hard.

"Something… Wrong, Lady Hokage?" He croaked out in a whisper of a voice.

She crossed her arms, looking angry. But Kakashi couldn't take her seriously; she was still blushing. He chuckled some more. She let out some breath in a puff.

"Really, Kakashi…" She said, "You've just recovered from a life-threatening ordeal and you're already being a smart ass?" She smirked, "You must be feeling better."

"I'm still… Pretty sore…" He said.

"Yes, I didn't doubt that. You're probably still going to be sore like that for a few days. But, knowing you, you'll be up and walking tomorrow," She smiled at him.

He smiled back, which made the blush come back to her cheeks. For the third time, Kakashi chuckled, "That bad, huh?"

Tsunade grimaced, "Yeah…"

"Could you, uh… Pull my mask up?"

Tsunade looked surprised for a moment, and then nodded confusedly, "Sure… But, could I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Kakashi glanced up at her after she'd done as he asked.

"Why DO you wear that mask?" She asked curiously, "I mean… It's not like…" She hated to admit this to one of her top ninjas, especially one that would probably never let her live it down, "It's not like you need it…"

Kakashi would've shrugged if he could. He smiled, "Force of habit, I guess."

The Hokage shook her head, smiling. Truthfully, she was extremely relieved that he was awake and able to talk. She was afraid that somehow, even though they'd made sure he lived, he would lapse back into the horrible state he was in earlier. She was extremely distraught after getting the call from the doctors in his room; she'd never seen someone in so much sheer pain before.

His amazing recovery just reassured Tsunade of how amazing Kakashi was. Definitely Sakumo's son…

"Well, I have to go back to my office," She announced, "But I want you to just focus on resting, alright? You already look tired anyway."

"… I was just thinking a lot… Made me tired…"

Tsunade noticed the subliminal messages in his words with a frown, "… Well, just think about resting only, okay? You don't have the strength to think about other things yet," With that, she turned to leave, but not without one last word to Kakashi to make sure he followed through with her instructions, "And that's an order!"

She heard a raspy, "Yes ma'am" from his bed and left the room, shaking her head.

"That Kakashi…!" She grumbled under her breath, "Even staring death straight in the face, he never worries about himself!" She looked down at the floor unhappily as she walked down the hall of the emergency care unit, "_He can't let his feelings for those kids hinder his own recover… He can't afford that now…"_

……………………………………

Naruto sat at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar deep in thought, letting a noodle hang from his lip as he tapped the side of his bowl with his chopsticks.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" Teuchi asked from behind the counter as he washed dishes, "That's only your first bowl. Usually you'd be at number three by now," The man smiled good-humoredly.

Naruto sighed, slurping up the noodle still uneaten on his mouth, and looked up at the old man with a perplexed look on his face, "It's just… Well…" He looked back down at his ramen bowl, "The other day, there was something wrong with Sasuke, but he wouldn't tell me anything about it…"

"Sasuke…" Teuchi pondered, "Oh, you mean your Uchiha friend."

Naruto nodded, "And then… I went to his place to find out what was wrong, and he told me not to get involved in it because it was dangerous. But that only made me want to help more!" Teuchi let seriousness settle on his face, "Then, we heard that Kakashi-sensei was in critical condition in the Hospital… Granny Tsunade told us that he was attacked by an enemy ninja…"

"Kakashi?" Teuchi was surprised by this, "Good heavens… What could have happened?"

Naruto slammed his fist down on the counter, gritting his teeth together, "It's not fair… Why do they have to suffer? Why can't I do anything??"

"There's nothing you can do right now, Naruto," A voice came from behind him.

Naruto turned around to see Gai step into the Bar, taking a seat next to Naruto, "… Super Bushy-Brow-senei?" He looked at Gai with confusion for a moment, noticing that something was off about him. He seemed… Less 'pumped' than usual. Much less.

"Would you care for anything, Gai?" Teuchi asked.

"No, thank you," The Jounin shook his head.

"… Do you know what happened to Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked seriously, nervous that Gai's energy was so much lower than usual.

Gai glanced at Naruto momentarily, and then focused back on the counter, "… I can't say."

Naruto started to get angry, "What do you mean you can't say?! He's my sensei, isn't he?!"

Gai sighed, "Kakashi wouldn't want me to tell you anyway. He doesn't like his students to worry about him like that."

"Well then tell him he shouldn't go and almost get himself killed!" Naruto said in a frustrated voice, "Doesn't he think that worries us??"

Gai's face showed empathy for the boy, "Naruto, I know what you mean. But it's actually better for Kakashi if I don't tell you," Naruto looked confused, but Gai continued, "… I can tell you that you shouldn't dwell on this longer than you have to. Don't bring his problems onto yourself."

"But he's always bringing our problems onto himself," Naruto said through gnashed teeth, "He's always thinking of us."

Gai looked surprised for a second, and then laughed without humor, "That's true. But that's just the way Kakashi is. We can't change that."

"… Yeah…"

"Naruto."

"Huh?"

"You know, I think he might be awake now…"

"W-What?!"

Gai smiled at the boy, giving his famous wink and thumbs up, "Yup. You should probably run though. He's gonna be tired, and the Hokage might not let you in."

"Like hell she won't!!" Naruto shot up from the stool he was on and slapped twelve ryo on the counter. He booked it outside, yelling back, "Thanks, Super-Bushy-Brow-sensei!!"

Gai and Teuchi smiled, Gai chuckling a little, "Kakashi will hate me for that."

"How do you figure?" Teuchi asked.

"Oh, I just know…" He stood up from the bar stool and walked outside, feeling much better than he had been feeling for a while.

**Author's Notes:**

**Hey guys! Sorry this update took so long! I was preoccupied with other story-writing ish that didn't apply to FanFiction! But I'm glad I started continuing this. I'm really beginning to like this story!**

**I hope you all liked how I snuck in Kakashi-sensei's beautiful face! :)**

**Oh, and if Gai seems a little OOC…. I am ashamed. I don't think it's too bad, but it's kind of hard to write for a somber Gai-sensei! (XD) **

**I hope you're all still enjoying this! I appreciate your reviews very much! **


	7. One Step Closer

"I can't believe Granny Tsunade wouldn't let us see him yesterday… What's her problem?!" Naruto fumed as he and his teammates walked down one of Konoha's many streets to the Hospital.

Sakura sighed, "Naruto, come on. Do I really have to-"

"Kakashi wouldn't want us to see him like that," Sasuke interrupted calmly but gruffly at the same time, "Idiot…"

"Sasuke…?" Sakura was a little surprised that he actually interrupted her. But then again, he was probably tired of Naruto's complaining too. She looked at him, seeing a tension in his face that she couldn't quite put in words… He looked almost like he was thinking hard about something… With a sad thought, she realized what was going on.

Sasuke was concerned.

Sakura always knew, no matter how cool Sasuke always acted- which was extremely hot! –that he cared deeply for his squad. But she didn't think she'd ever seen him quite this worried. Did he know something about Kakashi-sensei's condition that they didn't?

"… Yeah, I suppose you're right," Naruto grumbled, not liking the idea of Sasuke actually _being_ right. He put his hands behind his head.

……………………………………..

Kakashi looked at them out of one of the Hospital's windows with Tsunade. She was smiling, "They were so adamant about seeing you…"

He chuckled, "You mean Naruto was. I could hear him yelling even when I was only semi-conscious."

The Hokage shook her head, "If you think that's bad, you'd better prepare yourself for when then see you up and about. He'll likely shout your ear off."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled up in a smile as he turned around, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Probably."

Tsunade's smile faded a little, "But seriously Kakashi… Don't overexert yourself," Her eyebrows lowered, "I don't want to see you back in here, you got that?!"

He saluted, "Yes ma'am…"

She sighed, crossing her arms, "You really are something, aren't you? I can't believe you're actually walking around when yesterday you couldn't even move."

He shrugged, "Well, you did say that I would probably be walking today, didn't you?"

Tsunade smirked, "That's true," She began walking with Kakashi out to the entrance of the Hospital.

Tsunade stepped out first, meeting up with the Genin as they were about to round the corner to the entrance of the Hospital. Naruto, of course, was the first to say something to her.

"Granny!" He waved enthusiastically, starting to quicken his pace, "How is he? Can we-"

At that moment, Kakashi took a step out of the covered area of the Hospital entrance, taking the liberty to smile at his students. His voice was nonchalant, as if they were meeting up for some early morning training.

"Hi guys."

All three of them looked shocked at first, like a ghost had just spoken or something. Then, they broke out into beams. Even Sasuke, who usually just let a smirk cross his features when something good happened, couldn't hold back a relieved grin.

"Kakashi-sensei!!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison. The three of them ran up to him eagerly.

"Oof!" Kakashi staggered a little as Naruto slammed into him in a hug, "Take it easy Naruto… I'm not a hundred percent yet."

"Sorry," The blond replied gingerly, rubbing the back of his head with a large and dorky grin on his face after he had released his sensei.

"H-How are you feeling??" Sakura held both of her hands together, looking anxiously up at Kakashi, "You're already well enough to walk around?"

"Even if he is nor not," Tsunade said, crossing her arms, "You know Kakashi," She smirked towards the Jounin, who just shrugged.

Squad Seven smiled too, "Yeah. That is like him," Sakura agreed. Tsunade had succeeded in calming her nerves a little.

"Besides, he's in there so much that he probably wanted to get out as fast as he could," Sasuke said with a half-smile.

"That's true," Kakashi agreed, laughing a little.

Suddenly, Naruto looked like he had just realized something, and looked up at Kakashi's face with wide eyes. He then looked at Tsunade, then back at Kakashi.

"… What?" Tsunade asked, already not liking where this was going.

Naruto put a hand up to his chin, "So since… Since Kakashi-sensei was in such a serious condition… Did you…" He looked at Tsunade eagerly, "Did you actually see his face?!"

Kakashi half groaned half sighed. Naruto was as simple-minded as ever. He probably forgot that his sensei was standing right there.

Tsunade looked away from the three of them, her face becoming pink again. This, however, just proceeded to make the whole squad look at her in disbelief. Did she see his face?! Really!?

"L-Lady Hokage?" Sakura asked timidly, "Is that… I mean… Did you??"

The Hokage bit her lip, starting to get frustrated, "Whether I saw his face or not is none of your concern!" She pounded Naruto upside the head, causing the boy to deflate to the ground, whimpering and holding the large bump that had surfaced.

"Ooww!! What'd you do that for Grandma?!"

"Because you're a naïve brat, that's why!" The Hokage spat, still fuming.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head nervously. Yup. They were still the same squad he had come to know and love.

"Anyway…" Tsunade said after Naruto had gotten back up to his feet, "Kakashi's free for now, but…" She turned to him, "Remember what I said!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," He nodded, hands back in his pockets.

"And you three," She turned back to his squad, "You make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid, alright? I'm putting you in charge of making sure he doesn't wind up back in the Hospital!"

"You got it Granny!" Naruto gave a thumbs up, "Don't worry, we'll watch out for Kakashi-sensei!"

"We'll take care of him, Master," Sakura bowed respectfully.

Sasuke, no doubt the smartest of the three, said nothing, because he was sure Kakashi was already not looking forward to being 'looked after' by his own Genin squad. He just continued to smirk as he saw the man sigh again.

"_Great…"_ Kakashi thought tiredly, "_I'm going to be babysat by my squad. Terrific."_

"Kakashi," Tsunade suddenly whispered as Squad Seven was preoccupied with chatting amongst themselves about how in the world they were supposed to keep tabs on their Jounin sensei. He turned to face her quickly.

"Yes?" He responded just as quietly.

"Don't use your Sharingan, alright? We don't know what'll happen if you do, so it would be best if you didn't use it at all."

"… Understood."

Moments after, Squad Seven was heading out, waving goodbye to the Hokage and walking down the street casually. Naruto was talking non-stop to Kakashi about his 'training progress', which Kakashi only paid half-attention to. He swore, sometimes that kid drove him crazy…

Sasuke followed behind them, his eyes on Kakashi. He, unlike Naruto and Sakura, had enough sense to listen on to what the Hokage had told the silver-haired Jounin. What she said bothered Sasuke greatly. Why couldn't Kakashi use his Sharingan? Was it because of that attack? If so, what in the hell happened to him that would make the Hokage that concerned about him using the Sharingan?

Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened a little in realization as he remembered why he wasn't allowed to use his Sharingan for a while too… His curse mark. His eyes narrowed again as he quickly ruled that possibility out.

He would only come to that conclusion as a last resort. And as a last resort only.

…………………………………

"Lord Orochimaru," A smiling Kabuto walked into his Master's office. Orochimaru lifted his head from various vials of liquid to look at him.

"What is it Kabuto?" He hissed. He was right in the middle of a series of important experimentations; this had better be good.

"It would seem…" Kabuto tapped his round glasses back, causing them to glint. He looked back up at Orochimaru gradually, "Kakashi is still alive after the twenty-four hour mark."

Orochimaru turned all the way around at hearing this, a sickening smile almost reaching up to the corners of his eyes, "Brilliant."

"There's more milord," Kabuto said, holding up a peach-colored file and scanning over a section of its contents, "According to our associates watching Konoha, he was even released from the Hospital today."

Orochimaru's eyes glinted with slight surprise, and his smile grew, if at all possible, "Really?" He turned back around so his back was to Kabuto, "That's wonderful… He is even exceeding my expectations. As to be expected of White Fang' son," He licked his lips in pleasure.

"Kakashi…" He held his fist up in the air, staring at it longingly and then clenching it fiercely, "You will soon be mine."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! Sorry about the semi-long wait! This chapter took longer than expected, mostly because I was momentarily at a loss of what to have happen in it…O.o **

**As a result of that, it kinda turned out to be a filler-type chapter. (Oh no! How could I?! XD) I knew for sure that I wanted Kakashi to have a speedy recovery, and I wanted to shortly flash over to the bad guy side and see how they're taking all of this. **

**Hope you're all still enjoying it! There will be more plot soon!! **


	8. Old Friends

The next couple of days went by to become a sort of routine for Kakashi. He would get up in the morning, go out to the training grounds to meet his squad when the time was right, (though they wouldn't dare let him get up for an early session because they insisted he get plenty of rest all of the time) go through with their training session, brushing off any worries they may have had for their teacher when he ordered them to spar with him. He found that since he wasn't allowed on missions quite yet, Kakashi would have to settle with sparring with his students, which wasn't really all that bad.

After the session was over, Kakashi would find himself strolling around Konoha, going shopping for groceries or whatever he needed. Looking into the "Adult Manga" store in Konoha always made him happier too. But the Copy Ninja couldn't deny that something just felt… Foreboding. He couldn't shake off the feeling he had that something bad was going to happen soon.

It didn't comfort him at all to know that his curse mark hadn't been hurting at all for the past few days; in fact, it worried him greatly. Dormancy could only be the pretense for disaster as far as Orochimaru was concerned. And Kakashi was known to be a pessimistic person anyway, so these feelings of apprehension weren't foreign to him.

Something else came to his attention as well later that week when he met up with his squad for their normal training routine. Something that Sakura brought up.

"… Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, her eyebrows lifting up with a look of concern.

"Hm? What is it Sakura?" He asked casually.

"Are you… Sure you're feeling alright?" At this, Kakashi noticed Naruto and Sasuke look at her oddly as well.

"Why do you ask?" His expression hardened a little.

"Well…" She started, "I know it's probably nothing big, but… You haven't been late recently."

Kakashi allowed a small amount of surprise to cross his features as Sakura finished her sentence. She was right… He had actually been on time. He hadn't thought much about it until she brought it up.

"Whoa, that's right…" Naruto's bright blue eyes widened, "You've been on time every day this week, haven't you Sensei?"

"I… I guess I have," Kakashi replied, a little dumbfounded himself.

One of Sasuke's eyebrows rose as he looked at Kakashi accusingly, "… _Are _you alright Kakashi?" Even he thought the Jounin's lack of tardiness odd.

"I'm fine," Kakashi held his hand up as if stopping all of their accusations. He slid both of his hands into his pockets shortly after, regaining his lax composure, "I can be on time when I want to, you know," He smiled.

The three of them still looked at him unsurely, like they really didn't believe him, until Naruto broke the silence. For once Kakashi was thankful for his disability to keep quiet for long:

"Maybe Sensei's just finally listening to us when we yell at him to come on time," He said, folding his hands behind his head and grinning.

"Heh," Kakashi chuckled, "Well, how long could I ignore you guys for? It was getting kind of annoying listening to your complaints all the time."

At this, Sakura and Sasuke seemed to calm down a little, which relieved Kakashi. He didn't want them worrying unnecessarily about him. Though what had been brought up made him feel a little poignant. He hadn't been late, had he? Then after training, he definitely knew where he was going:

The Memorial Stone.

……………………………………….

Kakashi walked casually up to the Memorial Stone as the clouds above him began to gray with signs of rain. He stopped about a foot in front of it, gazing down somberly at the black stone.

".. Sorry," He said in barely a whisper, "I know I… Haven't been coming lately. I guess it's been a little bit of a rough week."

He sighed, running his fingers along the stone, tracing along the name of a dear friend, "Obito… What do I do?"

Brush ruffling made Kakashi instinctively turn around. To his surprise, Gai had stepped out of the shrubs and was now gazing at him seriously. Kakashi stood looking at him for a second before turning back around.

"… What is it Gai?" He asked.

"You're still uneasy, aren't you?" The Green Beast asked, "I can tell. You haven't quite been yourself lately."

"You too, huh?" Kakashi said, stilling looking down at the stone.

Gai chuckled shortly, "I see you're still as sharp as ever…" He frowned again when he looked back at his friend gazing down at the Memorial Stone. He walked up until he was a few feet away from Kakashi.

"… He knows it's not your fault," Gai began. When Kakashi looked back at him curiously, he continued, "Obito knows it's not your fault that you can't use the Sharingan…"

Kakashi turned his head around all the way, his visible eye widening a little; he hadn't expected him to say that at all, "Gai… How did-"

Gai took the liberty to smirk a little, closing his eyes, "After all these years, I think I've gotten to know my Eternal Rival pretty well… Dontcha think?"

Kakashi's gaze softened as he turned back around. A hand was put on his shoulder:

"Don't worry about it. I know he doesn't blame you…" Kakashi could almost feel Gai's expression falter a little, "Come on Kakashi. Obito wouldn't want you to dwell on this anyway."

"… Yeah. You're right Gai," Kakashi turned around to face him, his eye crinkling up into a smile, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Gai responded with his trademark toothy grin.

"Let's go home," Kakashi said, putting his hands back in his pockets, looking up at Gai with the normal inattentive sleepy gaze. Gai smiled again, noticing the normal calmness that had come over his friend again.

"Yeah," He nodded, starting to walk with Kakashi back to the Leaf Village, "You know Kakashi," He started in a tone that suggested to Kakashi he had most of his old spark back, "This state of yours would be a perfect opportunity to work on taijutsu! We could have a fiery test of our-"

"Not today, Gai. Thanks," Kakashi replied swiftly but lazily, throwing a half-hearted smile in the Jounin's direction.

Gai's air never faltered, "Nonsense! It'll help invigorate you!"

"… I'm going to go with no on that one," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Hm?" He looked up when he heard the flapping of wings. Gai looked up as well, taking a break from his exercise tangent.

A brown messenger hawk started to descend, and it landed on Kakashi's arm as he held it out. The Copy Ninja untied the message from its leg and glanced over it briefly before letting his brow furrow a little.

"What is it?" Gai asked, seriousness starting to return.

"The Hokage needs to see me…" Kakashi looked up at Gai, his expression still serious, "For a mission."

**Author's Note:**

**So sorry this chapter took forever and ever to be put up! I put it off for a long time; busy with other things... But I hope you all still like it, nonetheless. (Even though; more filler! XP) I do promise to start moving along with the plot, as you can tell by my hopefully suspenseful ending. **

**So, remember how I said I was busy with other things?? One of those things was going to see the Seattle Symphony Orchestra! The program was: Distant World~ Music from Final Fantasy, and the composer himself- Nobuo Uematsu –was there!! He sat an aisle away from me during the concert!! . I about had a panic attack. **

**So yeah, hope you're all enjoying this story! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**


	9. The C Rank

"A mission?" One of Gai's illustrious eyebrows rose up skeptically, "I thought you were in reserve for now."

"I thought I was too…" Kakashi murmured, looking back down at the message after the Messenger Hawk had flown away.

"But it must be urgent if Lady Hokage didn't just send someone out here to get you," Gai folded his arms.

"Yeah…" Kakashi looked up at Gai, and with a nod, the two of them quickly went up to the Hokage's Office. Gai didn't necessarily have to follow him, but this intrigued him too. What kind of mission would the Hokage actually be willing to send Kakashi on during such a time?

Kakashi had barely tapped on the Hokage's door before she had granted him entrance. He stepped in, walking up to her desk with Gai waiting outside. He figured Tsunade would've asked him to leave if he came in anyway.

"Kakashi…" She looked up from her desk to him, hands folded neatly together.

"You had a mission for me ma'am?" He asked, "Was I requested specifically?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yes. You and your squad."

This actually surprised Kakashi a little, "Squad Seven too?"

The Hokage nodded again, "Yes. As unusual as it sounds, Squad Seven was specifically requested from this client for a mission."

"… What level of mission?"

"It's a C-Rank," She looked back down at a piece of parchment on her desk, "The client- Hiroto Isamu -heard about your success with the Land of Waves mission; and how you were able to take down Zabuza Momochi. He was quite adamant in his request for you."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed a little, "I see… What does the mission entail?"

………………………………………….

"Yes! Finally! It's been forever since we've had a C-Rank!" Naruto cheered as he and the rest of the squad met up at the Leaf Village Gate.

"It has been a long time," Sakura agreed, "Just don't do anything stupid, alright Naruto?"

Naruto groaned, "Why do you always assume that I'll do something stupid, Sakura?"

"Maybe because you always do," She hissed back, "Just focus."

"Are we ready to head out?" Sasuke asked Kakashi, not paying any attention to his teammates' bickering as usual.

Kakashi nodded, "Yeah," He glanced back at Sakura and Naruto, who was still sulking a little, "You guys ready?"

"Yes Sensei," Sakura nodded.

"Yup!" Naruto quickly switched gears from being sulky to being determined.

With another nod, Squad Seven started setting off to meet with their client: Hiroto Isamu. Kakashi took the rear as usual, thinking deeply about the contents of their mission. They were to meet up with the client on the Land of Fire's northeast border and escort him back to his home past the Fire Country. Sounded easy enough. But once again, Kakashi's pessimistic mind kept on telling him: "Oh, don't worry. There'll be plenty of bandits and quite possibly enemy ninja to fight. They could never make it easy."

Kakashi remembered the short conversation he had with Gai before he left:

"_An escort mission, huh?" The Green Beast had said, "Sounds too easy. But then again, escorts are never easy. It should give you plenty of time to asses your students' progress though; I always like that about C-Ranks."_

"_Yeah…" Kakashi shrugged, "Though it does seem odd, doesn't it? That my squad would be selected?"_

"_I suppose," Gai agreed, then smirked, "Though it may just be your pessimism catching up with you."_

_Kakashi gave a collective 'hmph', "Probably. Knowing me."_

"… _Just follow the instructions the Hokage gave you," Gai said in a more serious tone, "I'm sure you'll only need your taijutsu for most of this anyway."_

"… _Yeah… Guess you're right."_

_Gai sensed the restlessness in Kakashi's voice, and was aware of his discomfort. They still weren't sure what would happen if the curse mark actually activated… He was sure that's what worried Kakashi. _

"_Good luck."_

Kakashi still felt extremely unsure about how the curse mark would hold up. However, he had to complete the mission he was sent to do; no matter what. Though it strike him as odd how the client was already at the border yet he refused to go the extra miles on his own. He definitely had someone after him.

Kakashi was surprised at how much the group's pace had quickened over time. It seemed that even Naruto had put on a game face of sorts as they made their way to the border. As another pleasant surprise, Kakashi found that he barely had to do any fighting at all. The moment a bandit or someone of a similar fashion appeared, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura would immediately take charge, taking down the enemy swiftly and efficiently.

But these _were_ just bandits. Kakashi knew there would be much harder obstacles to overcome in the future, though he had the utmost faith in his squad. And after seeing how well they worked together now, his faith was fully renewed. He felt a swell of pride grow in his chest.

"_Don't get too cocky now, Kakashi…_" He told himself, "_It hasn't even begun yet._"

He knew it was true, but he wished it wasn't. For one day, the Copy Ninja wished he could have a smooth, simple, run-of-the-mill assignment, even though he knew that would never happen.

Nor was that going to be the case here. He could feel it.

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter was uber short, and I apologize for that! But I wanted to separate the introduction of the mission and the actual mission itself into separate chapters, so yeah! You can blame the length on my sense of "organization" I guess. XD **

**In other news, have you all read the latest Naruto manga??? O.o Oh MAAAN! I mean, I never liked Danzo to start with, but jeez louise! We're all doomed!**


	10. The Traitor Of The Hidden Sound

"We're about a mile from the border now, everyone," Kakashi announced to his squad as they reached the said location.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all nodded in acknowledgement, keeping their pace maintained nicely, which actually surprised Kakashi. He thought for sure that Naruto would be dashing ahead at top speed, trying to reach the objective point. But maybe he felt some of the same uneasiness that Kakashi still did...

Once they had reached the border, Kakashi took the lead position, holding his hand out to tell them to slow down. They obeyed his command immediately slowing down to a walk to match Kakashi's. Suddenly, Kakashi threw his arm out, letting his eyes narrow on a spot of bushes that he could tell had someone hiding in them.

"Sensei…?" Naruto voiced in little more than a whisper.

"… Hiroto Isamu?" Kakashi questioned warily, still peering into the bushes.

A shallow laugh was heard from behind the brush as a frail and gangly looking man stepped out from behind them, "Wow… Nothing gets past the Elite of the Elite, huh? You must be Kakashi Hatake and Squad Seven."

"Huh? You're… Our client?" Naruto inquired, getting a nasty glare and nudge from Sakura.

"Yes," Hiroto nodded, albeit sheepishly, "I am Hiroto Isamu. And I'm very grateful that I could get such a capable squad such as you guys."

"Mr. Isamu…" Kakashi began.

"Please. Call me Hiroto," He grinned at Kakashi.

"… Hiroto, then," Kakashi continued, "Why were you hiding in the trees? Is there really such a threat after your life?"

"… C-Could we… Please talk about this on the way to my home?" He asked nervously.

Kakashi nodded hesitantly, "Alright… But if this turns out to be higher than a C-Ranked mission, I will have to call it off," His gaze narrowed.

"O-Of course," Hiroto answered quickly as the group began to walk northeast, "I wouldn't expect anything else. Just know I picked you all out specifically because I believe you are strong enough to grant me my safety for the time being."

"Specifically? You requested us specifically?" Sakura asked, honestly surprised by this. They hadn't been told by Kakashi.

Hiroto nodded, smiling back at all of them, "Yes. I heard about your earlier successes with missions that were usually far too complex for Genin, and I was very impressed."

Naruto chuckled, folding his arms behind his head and grinning, "Whoa, cool!"

"That's a first," Sasuke admitted, "Kakashi; did you know about this?"

"Yep," The Copy Ninja turned towards them with a smile on his face, "I just didn't think it would be too important to tell all of you. I know you'll all do your best anyway."

Squad Seven smiled back at their Sensei, actually feeling good that he could trust them enough to know that they would work their hardest on every mission. Kakashi quickly spoke up again to Hiroto, his voice taking a more serious tone.

"So… Hiroto…" He began, "Would you please explain the situation at hand? I want to know what to expect."

"… Of course," Hiroto nodded slowly, taking his gaze off of Kakashi and quickly scanning around the area making sure that no one was in hearing distance, "I… I used to be a member of the Sound Village to the west."

A look of surprise made its way around the group, though with Sasuke and Kakashi, it was less surprise and more foreboding, "Whoa… You were a ninja, Hiroto?" Naruto asked in wonder. The guy didn't have the look of a ninja at all with how raggedy he looked.

Hiroto nodded again, "Yes… I was. I grew up there; didn't have any parents. That was alright though, because a lot of the kids I grew up with didn't have family of their own. I progressed quickly through the training, getting to be a Chuunin by age fourteen."

"Wow, you must've been an excellent ninja," Sakura noted in admiration.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid my smarts in the classroom didn't prepare me much for the real world… And how cruel people can be," The squad silenced completely at this, "About six months ago, I fled from the Sound Village after being offered a new rank as Jounin… I was ecstatic when they offered it. They told me what I had to do to get the promotion to Jounin though; and I couldn't go through with it."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed more. Already, the idea of this man being from the Sound Village didn't sound too appealing to him. They were dangerous, and if he was being hunted by their elite…

Hiroto knew their silence meant they wanted him to continue, "They… wanted me to kill one of my own squad mates."

Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened with shock. Sasuke's brow furrowed with distaste as certain unwanted memories came floating back into his head about what his brother did to receive the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"You didn't do it," Kakashi said, though that was obvious since he was _here_.

"No, how could I?" Hiroto shook his head sadly, "They were my comrades… I could never kill them."

"Let me guess: the village didn't take too kindly to that," Kakashi said.

"No," Hiroto answered bitterly, "They said that… By not listening to my superiors, I displayed a rebellious attitude, and that I would be punished for it."

"But you escaped?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah… I had to run for a long time. They were so persistent that I thought for sure I wouldn't make it out alive… But I managed to flee to a small settlement in the Fire Country. At least, for a while."

"So they figured out where you were hiding?" Kakashi asked grimly.

Hiroto grimaced, "Yeah… They did. And that's why I requested you guys. I know, it sounds rather cowardly of me, but I have no other way of escaping alive to my other house."

"How long have you had this other place to live? And how come you didn't just flee there in the first place?" Sakura asked.

"I've had that place for as long as I can remember… I used it to get away when the stress of a ninja's life was particularly bad for me… And I didn't run their first because I was afraid it would be too obvious at first. It's not the most hidden place."

"So what makes you think you'll be safe there now?" Kakashi asked.

"Because they won't think that I'll head back in the direction of the Sound Village," Hiroto replied, "Truthfully, it would probably be the safest for me to be as far away from here as possible, but… I can't just sever every connection I have with my country. Though I'm sure they think me a traitor now, I still have people I care about here…"

"Don't worry Hiroto," Naruto said determinedly, causing the man to turn around and look at him, "We'll get you to your home; don't worry."

Hiroto smiled, "Thank you."

Kakashi, unaware of the determinedness of his student, was assessing the area around them after Hiroto told his story. It sounded like they had been on his tail for a while… But this sounded much more serious than a C-Ranked Mission! No doubt, the man was desperate. But Kakashi's nature wouldn't let him just refuse to escort the man right after hearing such a story.

But if his squad got into unnecessary danger, he would call it off on the spot.

"Is something wrong, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, being attentive as usual.

"… No," He replied. _Not yet._

……………………………………………………….

"Kabuto," Orochimaru called for his right hand as a tight smile pulled around his lips. He was looking down at a piece of parchment he had received only minutes earlier.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto walked up to his Master awaiting whatever news he held.

"It seems that Kakashi and his pack of brats are out on a mission… One very near our humble abode."

"Oh?" Kabuto's eyes glinted.

Orochimaru continued, "They're escorting a Traitorous Ninja from our very village to a separate location…" He looked up at Kabuto, "Do you remember Hiroto Isamu?"

Kabuto's eyebrows gave an intrigued lurch up, "Of course. The Sound Village's forces have been trying to apprehend him for almost a year now. I assume he thought he was being clever in hiring a team of Konoha ninja to protect him."

"… Give an order, Kabuto," Orochimaru rested his head on the top of his hand as it rested on the stone arm of the chair he currently occupied, "to call off the ninja hunting down Hiroto," A glimmer shone in his eyes, "I think it's time we put our Musashi Project to the test… Don't you?"

A smirk almost mimicking that of Orochimaru's crossed the Medic's features as he bowed respectfully, "Of course, milord. He's getting rather _anxious_ anyway."

"Good," Orochimaru hissed, looking back down at the parchment, "Time for you to partake in a little game, Kakashi…" His laughter filled the room.

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry about not updating sooner everyone! Once again, I had kind of a hard time getting my ideas into words in this one, and how far I wanted to go with it. It's not uber long, but I believe it sets up for the next chapter quite nicely. X3 **

**I hope you're all still enjoying this! I really appreciate all of the reviews you guys have given me; they inspire me to write more! **


	11. The Musashi Order: Samurai Kenshin

Kakashi remained in the same apprehensive state for a good hour into their trek to Hiroto's house. Taking the rear once again, his eyes shifted over every tree, rock, and blade of grass in the area, not liking the foreboding feeling he was constantly getting from this mission. Though nothing severe had happened so far, he didn't trust how quiet things were.

The squad was positioned in a diamond formation: Kakashi to the back, Naruto to the front, Sasuke to the left, and Sakura to the right. Hiroto stood in the middle of them. That way, if they were attacked from the front, Naruto could start an assault of Shadow Clones while Sasuke and Sakura closed in to aid him and Kakashi could focus on protecting the client.

"How much longer is it to the destination, Mr. Isamu?" Sakura asked politely, breaking the silence that had been kept for most of the way.

"We still have about an hour's journey if we keep up this pace," He replied.

"Jeez, it's really out of the way, isn't it?" Naruto noted.

"That's the point," Hiroto grimaced back at him.

Sasuke stayed silent as always, seeming to follow his sensei's routine of scrutinizing every object they came in contact with. But, unlike Kakashi, he was like that on just about every mission.

"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura now turned towards her teacher. She always was good at seeing when something was wrong with the way a person was acting, "You've been really tense since we arrived at the border."

The rest of the group waited in silence for Kakashi's answer, all actually interested in what he would have to say to that.

"I'm fine," He replied nonchalantly, "Just trying to keep up a tight watch, is all. Don't worry."

"Alright," Sakura nodded, reassured by his words. She turned her attention back to the front.

Sasuke, though still facing forward and keeping the pace going, furrowed his brow. Kakashi's behavior had been very off lately. And now the anxiousness he sensed in the man began to grow, though he had to admit, the Copy Ninja was good at hiding it.

"?!" Suddenly Kakashi winced, feeling a sharp and short pain erupt on the left side of his neck, "_Oh no…_" He moaned inside, his eyes dashing from side to side with ten times his original fervor. With that pain came the horror of realizing that Orochimaru could be very close. And he could reach them at any second. Kakashi stopped suddenly, making the whole group stop in turn to look back at him.

"Kakashi-sen- H-Hey!" Naruto started to ask him a question, but stopped short when he saw the man grunt in pain and sink to his knees. The four of them ran up to him.

"Are you alright?!" Sakura asked feverishly.

"Everyone…" Kakashi said, taking in some deep breaths before standing up again, "Be on your toes; and I mean it. There's someone _very_ strong coming this way right now!"

The group exchanged shocked glanced with each other as they all tensed up into battle positions. The fact that Kakashi had warned them ahead of time meant that this person must have had an enormous amount of strength. Sasuke's mind raced around all of the possibilities that this situation had: the obvious pain Kakashi was in, how he knew that someone strong was coming so fast…

No. Not _that._ Sasuke was still saving that as an absolute last resort for what was happening with his sensei. Though that possibility seemed like it was the most probable with every step they took…

But still, if it was… _him_ that was coming, wouldn't Sasuke be able to feel it with his own mark??

Kakashi ripped a kunai from his pouch, holding it steady and still scanning over every bit of land around them. It would do no good to start running now. Knowing the threat that was coming closer and closer to them, running would only make it harder for all of them to stay alive. Kakashi bit his lip to keep in focus as the mark started to pulse more regularly. Then, with a glance up, he noticed something that momentarily blocked the sun's light. His eyes widened:

"Look out!!" He dove forward, shoving Hiroto to the ground a second before something enormous made contact with the ground with a powerful crack.

"!?" Squad Seven jumped back quickly to avoid being hit by chunks of rock that flew from the ground from the force of the landing.

"W-What is…" Hiroto stammered as he rolled up to his feet.

Kakashi hopped up to his feet quickly, biting his lip so hard he thought it might bleed, "_This… This isn't him… I can already tell… So why is the mark pulsing so freely?!" _

The dust cleared, and the sound of a sword being slid out of its sheath echoed in the air. The group stiffened. Standing in the midst of the wrecked land was an extremely tall man wearing what looked to be traditional samurai clothing. But something was different about him… His sword at the ready, he lifted his head up to reveal scorching red eyes.

"Who are you??" Naruto demanded.

The man turned towards him, "The first born of the Musashi Order: Kenshin," His eyes narrowed, "And that is all you need to know."

With that, he launched himself at the boy, Naruto only managing to jump out of the way a second before he would have fallen victim to the man's sword. He almost fell to his rear because of the sudden jump. Kenshin had moved so fast that Kakashi barely had time to leap over to knock his sword back with his kunai. He stood between his student and the samurai.

"Who do you work for?" The Jounin asked icily, "I doubt you just came here of your own will… Kenshin."

"I believe I already said that my name was all you needed to know," Kenshin spoke in a booming voice, "What my connections are is none of your concern," His eyes narrowed again, "Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi's brow furrowed. He had never met this man before, but his name was known throughout different countries besides the Land of Fire. Something else bothered the Jounin… The strength this swordsman held behind his weapon was staggering. Kakashi's arm was still ringing from knocking it back with just a kunai. As long as he had that sword, the squad didn't have much of a chance against him. Kakashi would be the only one that had a chance to take him down.

Kenshin's eyes shifted back to Naruto, who was staring at him and Kakashi fixedly. He scoffed: "No respect. If I have my pick of any of you to target, then I will definitely pick that one."

He dashed around Kakashi in a split second, once again going after Naruto. Kakashi once again raced in front of the boy, sending his kunai clashing against Kenshin's sword. He held firm footing, trying to push the sword away while the ringing had become fresh again in his arm. He heard a familiar sound behind him:

"Shadow Clone Juts-" Naruto began, positioning his hands accordingly and glaring bitterly at Kenshin.

"No Naruto!" Kakashi called out gruffly, making the boy stop in mid-jutsu, staring back at his teacher with surprised shock. Kakashi continued, "This guy's in a completely different league than you; any of you!" He got the attention of Sakura and the unsatisfied glare of Sasuke, "Just protect Hiroto! He's our prime concern right now!"

The squad all nodded hesitantly and then went into formation around Hiroto, who looked torn, as if he wanted to help Kakashi but knew that he should probably stay out of it. But there was something about this enemy…

"My fight is not with you, Hatake," Kenshin spat, pushing harder against his kunai and beginning to cut his knuckles, "My objective is one of those three children!"

"What?!" Kakashi's visible eye widened a little. How did that make any sense?? "And why's that?"

"I told you once," Kenshin continued, smirking a little, "My connections are none of your concern. But _you_ are not my direct target."

"So you're going after one of the three _Genin?!_" Kakashi said roughly, "What sort of honor is there in taking down a weaker opponent??"

Kenshin laughed curtly, "You didn't let me finish," He pulled away, wiping the small line of Kakashi's blood off of his blade with a finger, "I'm really just a messenger. I'm only here to… Observe on your part."

"Observe what?!" Kakashi glared, making Kenshin chuckle like he had asked a stupid question.

"You, of course."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey everyone! Sorry; this chapter is out a little later then I had planned… But sometimes I really need to be in the right mood to write this. XP And I knew I didn't want the entire fight to be in one chapter, so sorry it's not uber long!**

**I promise that there'll be a lot more action in the next chapter! I hope you're all still enjoying this story, and I REALLY appreciate the awesome reviews you all give me! They're truly my inspiration to write more! Thanks guys!**

**Oh! And have you all heard about the 3rd Naruto Shippuden movie coming out on August 1****st****?? O.o If you haven't, go on to YouTube or something and search for a trailer! Apparently, the plot revolves around Kakashi-sensei going to sacrifice himself for Konoha with all of the previously Genin group of ninjas going to save him! Looks pretty cool! Finally; a movie with a lot of Kakashi-sensei in it! Though I'm not fond of him dying… Still! I'm excited! **


	12. Useless Fight

"You're here to observe me?" Kakashi repeated dryly, seeming to grip his kunai with even more force, if that was possible. His knuckles were about as white as snow.

"I don't believe I stuttered," Kenshin stated plainly, turning his attention away from the silver-haired Jounin.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed again, his gaze shifting from Kenshin to the Genin surrounding Hiroto, "So once again, you intend to go after a group of kids? How does that help you observe _me_?"

"It shouldn't be your concern yet," Kenshin stated before he hoisted his sword back up into an attacking position and zoomed towards the squad. Kakashi's visible eye widened and he began to move when he saw Sasuke dash to the front of the formation:

"Fireball Jutsu!" He cried out, sending a large wave of fire towards the oncoming swordsman. To his utter shock, the man sliced right through the flames with his sword.

In shock, but not caught off guard, Sasuke whipped out a kunai, meeting Kenshin's blade and feeling hard pain vibrate through his arm. He cried out in pain, gnashing his teeth together and quickly pulling away from the man.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out worriedly, running over to his friend. His eyes immediately locked onto Kenshin with a spiteful glare, "I don't know WHAT you want with us, pal, but you're gonna pay for hurting Sasuke!"

"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke called out, still clutching onto his throbbing arm, "This guy… He's fused chakra into his sword. It's much more powerful than a normal one; be careful!"

"Chakra?" Naruto questioned, still glaring at the samurai, "Huh. Well that doesn't matter to me! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" One clone appeared beside Naruto and they both started to form the Rasengan, "Rasengan!!" Naruto shot forward at Kenshin with the swirling blue orb in his hand.

The swordsman was actually slightly impressed that he knew such an advanced-looking technique, but pivoted to the side effortlessly to avoid being hit with it, "Your ignorance of the world around you will kill you, boy," He spat, prepping to launch an attack at Naruto again.

"Damn it!" Kakashi swore, crashing into Naruto and forcing both of them to the ground a second before Kenshin's sword slammed onto the ground and caused rocks to fly.

"Sensei," Naruto grunted as he tried to get up under Kakashi's weight. The Jounin quickly rose to his feet.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" His gaze was fixated on Kenshin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," The blond responded, getting up and staring at their opponent nastily, "_Jeez… Even when I launched the Rasengan at him, he just side-stepped it like it was nothing!!_"

Kenshin grimaced, "I was told about your affection for your students, but you seem to be taking their safety into higher consideration than your own."

"You were told??" Kakashi said.

"Once again, you fail to understand that I will not tell you anything. Surely you have enough sense to believe me in that."

Suddenly, the sound of a thousand chirping birds echoed throughout the air, and Kenshin whipped around to see Sasuke holding a tingling ball of electricity in his hands. He shot forward with vicious intent:

"Chidori!!"

Kenshin pivoted around once again to avoid the wild attack, but this time couldn't get away without a chunk of his side starting to leak blood from the sharpness of the lightning. He cursed heatedly.

Sasuke stood right in front of Kakashi, eyes narrowed, "Damn it; I missed him."

Suddenly a gasp was heard from Sakura: "Sensei!!"

Kakashi looked up to her horrified face and then to where she was looking: Kenshin had a hand placed on the side Sasuke had split open and a dark blue color had enveloped it. In moments, he took off his hand and the entire wound was completely gone. The group looked on in horror.

"Medical Ninjutsu?!" Naruto sputtered.

"No, it's not!" Sakura said fearfully. They all turned their heads to her, "It's… Different. That light that surrounded his hand wasn't normal chakra… I didn't recognize it at all!"

The group tensed at this. Sakura had been studying under Tsunade, so she knew what she was talking about in terms of medical ninjutsu. If she didn't recognize that as a normal medical technique, then they were in trouble.

A bead of sweat rolled off Kakashi's face. He had also noticed the abnormalities of that 'healing technique', whatever it was. But it definitely didn't look like any chakra he'd ever seen, and that's what made him uneasy.

"I commend you for actually damaging me, young man," Kenshin said, turning his attention back to Sasuke, "But I'm afraid any attacks will only prove to no avail."

"Damn it," Kakashi muttered again, "_We have to get out of here. It looks like we won't even be able to lay a scratch on this guy… I don't know how much I can do without my Sharingan," _He thought ruefully, remembering the careful instructions that Tsunade had given him.

Kakashi thought back to the mark, thinking back to it for the first time since Kenshin appeared. He hadn't noticed, but the pulsing seemed to be going in a nice, steady, rhythm, and he was about numbed to it now. That made his fear of using the Sharingan increase. He didn't know what the infernal mark would do if he did end up using it.

However, Kakashi thought that possibility was becoming more and more possible as time went by.

"I'm tired of playing, Hatake," Kenshin said sternly, "Though your devotion to these brats is commendable, I really must put it to a stop."

Carefully starting to make hand signs with his hands while he still held his sword, Kenshin had devoted his attention to Kakashi. The Jounin tensed up when he saw Kenshin making hand signs and tried to decipher what sort of jutsu he was using, though it was considerably harder when he didn't have his Sharingan.

At the last hand sign- Inu –a group of vines suddenly shot out from the trees, grabbing onto Kakashi by his torso, arms, and legs and pulling him vigorously into a large tree, causing an alarmed grunt of pain to escape from his lips.

"Kakashi sensei!!" Naruto and Sakura both yelled out at the same time in panic.

With a horror-filled realization, Kakashi knew why Kenshin had pinned him down. He yelled out to his students desperately, feeling terribly nostalgic of the mission to the Land of Waves over a year ago:

"You guys!! You've got to run!" By the looks on their faces, Kakashi guessed that they had recognized this speech, "This guy is too strong! There's no point in sacrificing everything when we only have a little bit to go!!"

"No!" Naruto immediately said, "You were the one who told us that people who abandon their friends are worse than _scum_! We're not going to just leave you!"

Kakashi saw a determined sparkle in Sakura and Sasuke's eyes as they silently agreed with the blond shinobi. He groaned mentally, almost wanting to slap himself for saying that right now. But he could've guessed that they would refuse.

"Looks like you've trained them too well," Kenshin chuckled. He immediately shot forward at Naruto, catching the boy off guard and knocking him off his feet with a sharp elbow in his gut. He gasped breathlessly as he fell to the ground, drops of blood spurting out of his mouth.

"Naruto!!" Sakura yelled fearfully.

"Bastard," Sasuke spat, "Fireball Jutsu!!" He shot out flames again, hoping to catch Kenshin off-guard while he had his back turned.

The man spun around with inhuman speed and once again cut through the fire, dashing forward and striking Sasuke in the arm, making him cry out loudly and fall to the ground, clutching the arm that was now bleeding freely.

"Sasuke!!" Sakura cried out, her eyes narrowing at Kenshin, "How dare you!" Racing forward, Sakura reared up her fist to punch right through his idiotic face. Kenshin jumped back and made to grab her arm, when a kunai came racing through the air and made him pull his hand away quickly.

"Hiroto!" Naruto called out, sitting up slowly and wiping the blood away from his mouth.

Hiroto glared icily at Kenshin, "You'll not get any farther," He warned.

"Really?" Kenshin said, glaring right back at him, "You're that ninja that defected from the Sound, aren't you?"

Hiroto's eyes narrowed, "I thought you might know that. But no matter; you're fighting me now," He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a large device implanted on his arm with several holes lining the outside.

"Hey, that's--!" Naruto sputtered, his eyes widening as he remembered the Chuunin Exam, and a certain Sound Ninja that had that same device on his arm.

"The same that Dosu had…" Sakura muttered, personally not liking to remember him.

Hiroto frowned, "Keh. Dosu. That idiot; running off with my weapon."

"Your… Idea?" Naruto said.

Hiroto smirked, "Yeah. I invented it. And I can assure you that I can use it much better than he could."

Suddenly, Kenshin cringed, looking back up at Hiroto with even more spite, "You truly are one of those snakes, aren't you?" He managed to hiss out.

Hiroto's smirk widened, "Not anymore."

"_Wait, did he already attack?"_ Naruto thought in wonderment, "_I can't even feel anything._"

"_He's so fast with that thing, I can barely catch it,_" Sasuke thought, his Sharingan scanning over the two men currently locked in combat, "_But we should be focusing on getting Kakashi out of that-" _His thoughts were jarred suddenly as he tried to move his arm and received a fresh stab of pain, "Augh!" He fell back down to the ground, clutching his wound harder.

"Sasuke!" Naruto and Sakura rushed over to their comrade, kneeling down beside him.

"His arm is definitely broken," Sakura said seriously after taking a glance at the arm Sasuke was clutching onto with a vice grip, "He won't be able to do much of any fighting without receiving more pain."

Naruto nodded seriously, "Right. Then it's up to us to help Hiroto take this guy down."

"Idiot," Sasuke gasped out, "Free… Kakashi…"

A light of realization suddenly came into Naruto's eyes, "That's right! If he uses his Sharingan, than this guy should be no problem!"

Naruto immediately got up to make his way over to Kakashi, who was trying to keep tabs on everyone, and finding his heart beat faster every second they were around Kenshin.

Kenshin fell to his knees, "Damn it," He cursed as his ears started to bleed from the increasing waves.

"_He can concentrate the sound waves so that they're only hitting Kenshin,_" Sakura thought, "_Then that gives me an opening!_"

She got up, running over to Kenshin and rearing her fist back again, this time catching the samurai at a weak moment. Her fist slammed into his back with as much force as she could get out. He grunted and flew forward a few feet before falling to the ground. Sakura smiled.

"Good going," Hiroto smiled back at her.

"Thanks."

"You fools…" Kenshin stood up slowly, that same dark blue light from before surrounding his whole body as he turned to face them, "You never learn."

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said quieter than normal, reaching his teacher, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Naruto," The response was mechanical.

"I'm gonna get you out of these vine things," He said determinedly.

Kakashi immediately saw the light that was surrounding Kenshin and his visible eye widened, "No, Naruto. You have to get away from me."

"What? Why?" The blond ninja asked in confusion, looking back to Kenshin and getting the same foreboding feeling that Kakashi was getting. But that didn't prove anything to him. He turned back around, "Sensei, you're the only chance we have of really beating this guy."

Kakashi made a short sharp sound that could've been a sigh if it were longer, "Naruto, you don't understand," Before he could finish his thought, Kenshin came running up to them with the same inhuman speed and sliced Naruto in the side, missing vital organs by an inch.

The boy was thrown back, screaming in anguish as he hit the ground. He made to grip his bleeding side with a hand, moving at half the speed it would normally take. Kakashi was mortified:

"Naruto!!!"

Sakura and Sasuke ran over to him in alarm. Sakura knelt down by him, talking to her teammate worriedly. Sasuke stood protectively over the two of them, glaring bitterly at Kenshin and not even taking into notice his own arm that was bleeding way too much.

"You bastard, what do you want?!" Kakashi finally yelled, "If it truly is to observe me, then fine! I don't care what you do to me! Just leave my team alone!"

"Sensei…" Sakura muttered sadly, looking up to him momentarily before looking back down at Naruto. Hiroto quickly came to her side, assessing the damage done to the boy. Naruto grimaced, wincing in pain every now and then. He had to get up!!

"I'm afraid not, Hatake," Kenshin said, "I wish it were that simple," He looked towards Sasuke, "Are you sure you should be standing up right now, boy? Your wound is bleeding quite heavily."

Sasuke, who had begun to pant from the blood loss, just scoffed at the man, "I'm not going to back down from a bastard like you."

"How noble of you," He smirked, "Whatever you wish," Without warning, the man rocketed forward and landed a punch right in Sasuke's stomach. He barely had any air left to scream as he was sent flying back. A snap was heard as he landed on his arm, screaming in sheer torment.

"Sasuke!!" Kakashi and Sakura both yelled, staring with wide eyes at the Uchiha. Trusting Hiroto to look over Naruto, Sakura raced over to Sasuke, tears starting to become visible in her eyes. This was ridiculous: how could someone be so strong? WHAT did he want?

"Damn you to hell," Kakashi spat with as much venom as he could.

"It's frustrating, isn't it Hatake?" Kenshin asked, "Not being able to do anything while your comrades are dying."

Kakashi's fists clenched so hard that it didn't look like there was any blood left in them at all. It was almost like this man was goading him into…

His eye widened, "No…" He said hoarsely. The realizing fear turning into pure rage, he strained his arms up to lift his headband up so that his Sharingan was clearly visible- with such rage and fury that he hadn't felt for thirteen years.

"Chidori!!!" His voice boomed as a ferocious ball of lightning came tingling into his hands, causing the vines around him to snap. He launched at Kenshin with the intent to kill, throwing his electric fist forward in the hopes of taking out his heart.

Kenshin's eyes widened a little as he jumped away, only a second before he would've been given a hole where his chest was. He looked back at Kakashi's vicious face and then prepped his sword. This man had become a beast.

His students, including Naruto, looked on in almost horror. They had never seen Kakashi so bloodthirsty before, and they wondered had set him off in this almost animalistic personality.

"?!" Kakashi suddenly froze, his eyes widening in fear and shock. His arms started quivering, the ball of lightning he had previously held simmering down to nothing.

_BA-BUMP!_

"Augh!" He winced, wanting to grab for his neck, but found he couldn't, "No…" He croaked desperately, trying to resist the pain, trying to make it recede. But the curse mark kept pulsing, harder, faster, and Kakashi felt as if his whole body was slowly being covered in fire.

The squad looked on in definite horror now, seeing the obvious pain Kakashi had suddenly begun to go through: "S-Sensei…!!" Naruto had slowly sat up, grabbing his side and looking on painfully at his teacher. What was wrong?!

A loud gasp was suddenly heard from Sasuke, followed by a yell, "No!" He was sitting up as well, staring at Kakashi like he was his worst fear.

"Sasuke? What is it??" Sakura asked urgently.

Sasuke didn't respond. He barely heard her. All he saw was Kakashi writhing in obvious pain… As, through the visible skin on his hands and face, he could see black patterns slowly creeping up, covering his entire body.

Suddenly, with one last scream of pain, the Jounin collapsed in a heap on the ground, the patterns that had covered his body still remaining, making him twitch in pain.

"Kakashi sensei!!!!!" Naruto and Sakura both cried out frantically.

Kenshin laughed, his eyes gleaming, "Excellent! This was much better than I expected! Who would've thought he'd be so far along already…" He turned to the rest of the squad, "I hate to leave so suddenly, but it seems that I have… A package to deliver."

Sasuke cringed at those words, shooting up from his spot on the ground just as Kenshin picked up Kakashi and slung him over his shoulder, "Stop!!"

Kenshin waved once before putting his swords back into its sheath and holding one hand up in the sign of the Tiger, "Farewell."

Sasuke raced forward to attack the samurai, striking out just as he disappeared in a flurry of wind and leaves; Kakashi with him. His fists clenched together as he lowered to the ground and slammed them down, cursing madly, "Damn it!!!"

An eerie silence was all that was left as the group took in what happened, "No…" Naruto shook his head slowly, gnashing his teeth together and wincing before he cried out to the wind: "SENSEEEEEIII!!!!"

Sakura's eyes quivered as she tried to comprehend what had happened. Kakashi was gone. He just disappeared. And they didn't even know where to! Except Sasuke. Sasuke knew exactly where they were going after he saw those swirling marks cover Kakashi up. His teeth ground together:

"_Kakashi… Why? Why do YOU have a curse mark?! What is Orochimaru planning?!_"

**Author's Note:**

**Hello again guys! Sorry about not updating for a bit! I figured I'd repay you with my longest chapter yet! :) But in all seriousness, this was a lot longer than I thought it would be. XP **

**Okay, a few things I just wanted to confirm with you guys. You'll notice that Sakura is getting her uber strength already, and she knows a little bit about medical ninjutsu. Truthfully, I couldn't remember if she started studying with Tsunade before or after Sasuke left (I think it's after….), but it was the only way I could actually have her DO something. Because, really, before she trained with Tsunade, Sakura was pretty much useless…. (No offense to Sakura fans!) **

**So, yeah! I'm pretty sure that's it! So I hope you guys are enjoying this! Thank you so, so much for all of your awesomely awesome reviews! They really keep me going!!**


	13. The Captive

"Hold on just a few more seconds, Naruto," Hiroto said, tying the last layer of bandages around the boy's stomach.

Naruto sat silently while Hiroto did his work, staring down at a non-interesting plank of wood inside the small cabin that was their client's new home. Sakura and Sasuke leaned back on the wall opposite of Naruto and Hiroto, both looking as if they were at a loss of what to do. At least Sakura was. She had no idea what was going on, or if her sensei was even safe. But besides that, it seemed that Sasuke was the most troubled by this out of anyone. He stared at the floor like Naruto, though his gaze wasn't empty or lost at all; it was filled with fierceness and anger, the likes of which Sakura hadn't see for a long time.

"Thanks Hiroto," Naruto said to the older man once his wounds were all bandaged up and he had pulled his shirt back over his head. His gaze became fixated on Sasuke, "Hey."

The Uchiha looked up at him apathetically, knowing that the idiot was going to start pummeling him with questions that he couldn't answer without screwing them all over.

Naruto's gaze remained stone-hard, "You know something about where he was taken, don't you?"

Sasuke's gaze narrowed. His prediction was correct, "… I think so," He answered hesitantly, looking back to the floor.

"Well?" Naruto seemed to be getting impatient, "Do you know where?!"

Sasuke brought his head up to glare at his teammate again, "Not exactly, no."

Naruto allowed a frustrated sound to escape from his mouth, making Sasuke even more irritated at him. But it was true; he really had no idea where Orochimaru's hideout was, and even if he did he had no desire to drag the squad there. They wouldn't last two seconds.

"Do you know… Why he was taken?" Sakura asked, taking a more indirect approach than Naruto.

Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily, "Yeah, I do... At least, I get the general picture," Naruto decided to pay attention, "And it's not good. It involves…" He hesitantly started to explain, "Do you guys remember… Orochimaru?"

Sakura clenched her fists a little, memories of Sasuke's mark started to come back to her. How could she ever forget? "Yes… I remember him."

Naruto nodded slowly too, a snarl slowly coming on his face. He already didn't like the turn that this conversation had taken. That bastard almost killed Tsunade; he would never forgive that.

Sasuke paused shortly before continuing, "… He has Kakashi."

A spark of shock was passed around the room, "What?!?!" Naruto sputtered, his voice squeaking a little in apprehension.

"You can't be serious, Sasuke," Sakura said in a hurried whisper. She was usually never one to doubt him, but this was just… Unbelievable. Why would Orochimaru _want_ their sensei?

"It's nothing for me to lie about," Sasuke huffed, closing his eyes, as if he was trying to focus on something.

Naruto had already shot up from his seated position and was now once again staring at an uninteresting spot on the floor; though this time the gaze was more deadly and scrutinizing, "We're going to get him."

The others glanced up at the blond shinobi curiously, "We're going to go get him!" He repeated, more fiercely this time.

"How?" Sakura questioned, "Naruto, we don't even know where Orochimaru's hideout is; if they've gone back there, how are we supposed to follow them?"

"Well we have to do something!" Naruto yelled back in a tone that he never used with Sakura.

"Yelling's not going to help, you idiot," Sasuke replied icily.

"I'm afraid you guys wouldn't stand a chance even if you knew where the hideout was," Hiroto suddenly interjected from his spot on the floor. His expression was a serious calm one that Sasuke usually wore, "You all are quite strong. But L-" He paused momentarily, making Sasuke's eyes narrow, "… Orochimaru… Is unbelievably strong. And his followers are loyal to his every breath. If you were to go to his hideout, you would all likely be killed on the spot."

The silence somehow became more eerie as Hiroto told them this, each of the squad members lowering their eyes to a different spot on the floor, wondering how they would be able to get Kakashi out of Orochimaru's hands.

"We know that," Naruto said after a moment. He turned to Hiroto, "But we can't ignore looking for Kakashi-sensei just because we're afraid of death. He's always putting himself at risk for us, so the least we could do is get him out of there."

A little surprised by Naruto's sudden attitude, Hiroto smiled softly, "Of course…"

Sakura smiled at him too, knowing that what he said was true: "Don't worry Naruto. We'll find a way to get Kakashi-sensei back."

Sasuke suddenly stood up, "Come on. If we're going to do this, we're going to need manpower. What Hiroto said was true: we wouldn't last in there, and we wouldn't be much help to Kakashi if we were dead," He made for the door, "We have to go back to Konoha; fast!"

Everyone nodded and immediately followed Sasuke out. Sakura looked back to see Hiroto following them, "Hiroto? You don't have to come with us. The mission is finished; you're safe. There's no reason to put yourself at risk again."

The man shook his head, "It's partially my fault that Kakashi was captured. It would be cowardly of me to stay behind."

Naruto flashed a wide grin back at him, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

……………………………………………………

Kakashi's eyes opened blearily. Immediately noticing the lack of movement he got from his arms and legs, the man ventured a guess that he was strapped to a wall… A stone wall. The restraints that held his wrists and feet firmly to the wall were solid iron.

As his eyes refocused, he started to scan the area around him, looking for familiar objects or sights. Of course, he could place no familiarity on anything surrounding him, except the fact, that he was being held prisoner; that was familiar to Kakashi. It was a simple cell with stone walls behind metal bars with sparse torches lighting the hallway beyond. Yes, this situation seemed quite familiar.

The next thing to hit Kakashi was unexpected exhaust. Almost every portion of his body felt stiff and sore, like he had just done the most draining workout he could think of twice. That fact alone worried him. Thinking back, the last thing the Copy Ninja could remember was feeling sheer hatred towards Kenshin and a searing pain that made him feel like he'd been doused in flames. His eyes narrowed as his thoughts brought him back to the damned mark on his neck.

"_It must have been the curse mark…_" Kakashi thought to himself, "_Kenshin WAS just luring me into using my Sharingan,_" He sighed softly, "_Well; I guess now we know what happens when I use it…"_

With that last 'we', Kakashi's thoughts immediately went to his squad. His situation definitely put a huge stress on their mission, but he hoped that they had made it to Hiroto's house… Maybe they could be safe there for a while. But were they alright?? A sharp stab of guilt pierced him as he thought back to the fight and the injuries they sustained. Naruto and Sasuke's conditions were getting to the point of being fatal. Kakashi swallowed the lump in his throat.

He had to get back to them soon.

Once again he looked around the room, searching for any means of escape from wherever he was being held, "_Nowhere but the entrance,_" He thought wearily.

Kakashi actually thought about trying to snap off the iron restraints using chakra, but his exhaustion had also taken his toll on the chakra he could use. He found it rather strange, considering the only chakra he had used was for one Chidori. In fact, this whole fatigued state was one big question to him. Did the curse mark really take that much of his stamina?

Suddenly he heard the light tapping of footsteps from beyond his cage and lifted his head warily. A silhouetted figure opened the door of the bars and stepped inside. Kakashi could see a long and satisfied smirk cross this person's features. The light hit them when they were only a few feet away from Kakashi.

"So nice to see you alive… Kakashi."

The Copy Ninja's eyes narrowed to slits. He spat the name: "Orochimaru…"

The Snake-Sannin chuckled, "Kenshin has told me that you've advanced very quickly," His sickly yellow eyes shimmered in the available torchlight, "Let's see if you're ready to be a good little boy."

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay; I really wanted to post this sooner, but I kept on getting distracted with other things… -.-' (Though I really need to start focusing on other projects too. XP I can't help it; I love writing this story) **

**For this one, it's kind of a pretense to what everyone is going to be doing in the next few chapters. Squad Seven (plus Hiroto) is heading back to the Leaf Village for reinforcements and Kakashi… Well, I'll just leave the meaning of Orochimaru's last words to you! ^^**

**I hope you guys like this one! These reviews are some of the nicest I've ever gotten!! :) **


	14. Time Is Ticking

"Grandma Tsunade!!" Naruto shouted, throwing the door of the Hokage's office open so that it slammed against the opposite wall. He and the rest of the squad had made it back to the village in record time; they knew that there was no room for dragging along now.

"Naruto?" Shizune said curiously. She turned from the papers she was filing.

Tsunade's brow furrowed as she looked up from her desk. She was about to reprimand Naruto for not knocking when she saw the mixture of worry and urgency on Squad Seven's faces. Wait, was that Hiroto Isamu? Why was he with them? And where was Kakashi??

Tsunade felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and shot up from her desk. Her fists clenched and she spoke before anyone else could: "Where's Kakashi?!"

The group got alarmingly solemn for a few moments before Sasuke stepped to the front, "He was taken… To Orochimaru."

Shizune gasped sharply, putting a hand over her mouth in astonishment. Tsunade's fist clenched even tighter, causing the desk below it to crack right in half with a loud boom, "What?!"

"It's true," Naruto said solemnly. He locked eyes with her, desperation and determination taking hold, "Please Grandma! We've got to send ninjas out there to get him back! Who knows what could be happening to him right now!?"

Tsunade put her hands to her temples, letting out air between gritted teeth. She should've known something like this would happen!! This mission involved the Sound Village! How could she have been so _stupid?! _

"Lady Hokage!!" Sakura said in a pleading voice, bringing her back to the urgency of the situation.

"Yes, we must send ninja out immediately," She noted, "But this is Orochimaru. We can't just send a team of ragtag shinobi out there to their deaths…" She looked up at Shizune, "Shizune, assemble all of the Jounin and ANBU in the area, immediately!!"

"At once, ma'am!" Shizune nodded determinedly, racing out of the room to complete the task given to her.

"What about us?" Naruto asked anxiously. Tsunade could tell he wanted to help in the rescue of his teacher.

"You three need to stay here," Tsunade said seriously.

"What?!" Naruto looked dejected and then angry, "Why!? We're his students! If anyone should be going back there to get him from that bastard-"

"Enough!!" Tsunade bellowed, immediately quieting Naruto down. She walked over to him, her eyebrows lowering even more, "What help do you think you'd be to him!? You'd be playing right into Orochimaru's hands! What if he used you AGAINST Kakashi?!"

Naruto's face saddened and he cast his eyes down as the Hokage brought that up. It was a very valid and point, and it probably would happen if they went, but… His fists clenched together, and he tried to suppress the anger he felt boiling inside of him. Anger at Orochimaru for taking his sensei away from him, anger at Tsunade for not letting him go, anger at himself for not being able to help his teacher when he needed it.

"I know how you feel," Tsunade's voice was suddenly more compassionate. She looked down at Squad Seven empathetically, "But the best thing you could do for Kakashi would be to stay here. You know that he'd never forgive you if you went running into Orochimaru's hideout like that." They knew it was true.

"Speaking of the hideout," Sasuke suddenly said, "Lady Hokage, how do you plan to _find _where they are?"

"The ANBU are expert trackers," She replied, "If anyone can find Kakashi, it's them. So don't worry about that; they'll find the hideout."

"But… How do you know they won't be outnumbered?" Sakura asked anxiously.

"… I don't," Tsunade admitted with a sigh, "I can't really be sure of much of anything at this point. But I do have faith in our ninja, and in Kakashi. I believe that they'll pull through."

There was a moment of silence before Hiroto spoke up for the first time since entering the village, "… Lady Hokage?"

"Hm?" She looked up at him, almost forgetting that he was here, "You must be… Hiroto Isamu?"

"Yes, ma'am," He dipped his head in respect, "And if I may, I have a request to ask of you."

"… What is it?"

"Would you please allow me to aid the search party?"

Everyone in the room was surprised by this, though the squad knew that Hiroto wanted to help. Tsunade folded her arms and looked at him suspiciously, "Why would you want to assist them?"

"It's partially my fault that Kakashi was captured," Hiroto said, "Besides, I know quite a bit about Orochimaru and his followers. I could greatly help the Leaf ninja in this."

Tsunade's brow furrowed again, "You'd be putting yourself in unnecessary risk. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes ma'am," He nodded, "I was strong enough to be considered a Jounin back when I was a Sound Ninja; I may be able to help them in battle too. If nothing else, it's always good to have extra manpower."

Tsunade mulled over this for a while, but then finally sighed. He had good points. And perhaps he could help the search team, "Very well. You may join the search party, Mr. Isamu. I am grateful for your offer."

"Thank you Lady Hokage," Hiroto dipped his head again. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. When the boy looked up at him curiously, he smiled, "Don't worry, Naruto. I'll help get him back."

Naruto smiled back at him, "Thanks Hiroto."

……………………………………......

Kakashi sneered at Orochimaru's words. He was careful not to show it, but they sent a shiver coursing down his spine. Knowing the Snake Sannin, they couldn't mean anything that would turn out well for the Copy Ninja either… He cursed his own bad luck.

"What a nasty look," Orochimaru chuckled, noticing the sharp edge that came into Kakashi's eye, "I haven't even told you anything yet, Kakashi," The way he hissed his name made Kakashi shiver again, "You must be worn out. Aren't you?"

Kakashi said nothing. He wasn't going to admit anything to this bastard. Besides, his tone suggested that he already knew the answer to the question he asked. Orochimaru had expected this of him though; he could tell by the chuckle the rogue gave off when all the response he got was the tightening of Kakashi's knuckles.

"As I thought. Kenshin told me that the mark responded quite quickly and suddenly," With an unnatural gleam in his eye, Orochimaru eyed the left side of Kakashi's neck with interest. The Jounin stiffened. He hadn't thought much about it, but both his vest and headband were no longer on him, and he didn't like Orochimaru staring at him longer than he had to.

With the same smirk still pulled tightly around his lips, Orochimaru reached up to Kakashi's face, making him draw a sharp intake of breath. His head instinctively tried to lean back to avoid contact, but he just hit the stone wall behind him sharply. His open eye widened and a short and sharp gasp escaped from his lips as Orochimaru unrepentantly and swiftly yanked down his mask.

Pulling the fabric down more, and stretching it as far as it would go to the left, Orochimaru glanced at the black mark on his new play toy's neck, surrounded by a ring of ghostly white skin. His smirk widened into a sickening smile. Kakashi's lips carved up into a snarl as he saw the pleasure in the man's eyes. Soon those eyes had met back up with his.

"My, my…" He hissed, "Who would've thought such a face hid behind the mask?" Kakashi proceeded to glare icy daggers at him, wanting to make those daggers stab through him and wipe that disgusting smile off of his face, "Perhaps you are ready to be a good boy."

That last line sickened Kakashi. He wouldn't give Orochimaru anymore satisfaction. Making sure his mouth was full, he spat at the Sannin's feet.

Taking in air sharply with a hiss, Orochimaru's head snapped up to Kakashi, his smile replaced with a potent sneer. The Jounin took the liberty of smirking in grim fulfillment.

"Good, my ass."

One of Orochimaru's arms suddenly shot up, grabbing Kakashi by his neck tightly and causing the man to gasp breathlessly, straining to get air. The Snake Sannin showed no signs of letting go.

"Oh, you _will_ be good. Maybe not right now, but you will learn. _Soon_, you will learn. Even if that means I have to dent that pretty little face of yours," He whispered, squeezing his drip tighter before letting Kakashi go.

He gasped, coughing several times and taking in shaky deep breaths to regain the oxygen he had just lost. He managed a nasty glare up in his captor's direction. Orochimaru's smirk returned, though now it looked more crazed than before.

"Don't make this hard for yourself, Kakashi," He sneered before pivoting back around and making for the cage door.

Kakashi let his head hang down a while after Orochimaru had left. This wasn't good… Not only for himself, but for the village. He didn't even know what the mark was truly capable of yet. And if it did turn out to be something unimaginably bad like he feared, then the village would definitely suffer for it. If Orochimaru was able to gain control of him-- No. No, that wouldn't happen. Kakashi refused to let himself be controlled by that bastard. No matter what happened…

He would _not_ be broken.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! Izumi here! **

**This was a quicker update than usual, and I can't really tell you why that is… O.o It's a tad odd, but I feel good about this one! I'm trying to set it up for the big "Search and Rescue" mission! I'm very excited for it for one kind of silly but fulfilling reason: I GET TO MAKE UP ANBU NAMES!! YOSH!! XD**

**I really shouldn't be as excited about it as I am, but it's one of the small things that I really love about writing these kinds of Naruto stories. :P **

**Anyway, I hope you're all still enjoying this story! I'll say it again, because I can never say it enough: I love all of the awesome reviews!! They make me extremely happy, and spur me on to write on! **

**Oh, and please! If you have any suggestions or ideas or anything of the sort, please don't be shy! Please post them in your review!! I will gladly take them into consideration! :]**


	15. The Musashi Order: Masaru Tomichi

Kakashi's eyes opened hazily. Quickly and mechanically closing his left eye, the Jounin lifted his head up as his eye refocused to his dark surroundings. The torches' light had been extinguished, with didn't make it any easier to see.

He moaned slightly at a pang of soreness he felt course throughout his body. A different soreness than the day before, he cracked his neck and moved around his fingers and feet, trying to get some feeling back into them. Sleeping while strapped up to a wall was extremely hard and not the _least_ bit comfortable.

It was definitely not the first time he spent the night in a cell, but it was the first time he'd been strapped up to a wall throughout the entire night. Usually when he was taken prisoner, his captors would at least make it so that he could be on the floor. Sleeping on the hard stone floor would have been _much_ appreciated here.

Kakashi exhaled as he started to feel the blood moving in his hands and feet again. With a semi-shocked expression, he realized that he still didn't have his mask on. He gritted his teeth as memories from the night before plagued his mind; that sickening but satisfied smile that Orochimaru had painted on his face was enough to make Kakashi gag.

The Copy Ninja didn't even want to know what that sick bastard had in store for him… Even though he knew he would find out eventually, whether he wanted to or not. Once again, his thoughts went back to the Curse Mark. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twitched a little in displeasure when he suddenly came to the realization…

The left side of his neck was completely numb.

He thought for sure that there would certainly be some blood pumping where the Mark was pulsing, but there was nothing. Nothing at all. The Curse Mark just blended into the numbness that the rest of that side held. That worried Kakashi…

"_The Mark is dormant…_" He thought nervously, "_But why? I definitely felt it yesterday… The pain was excruciating. I wonder if it's because of a sudden burst of progress …?"_

He thought back sourly to when Kenshin had finally provoked the last of him and he broke out of the vines holding him. He had to admit… For a moment, he felt an enormous surge of power that had never been experienced before. It was almost enthralling. The power just took over and made him… Animalistic. It definitely wasn't _all_ the Mark's doing though; Kenshin had done a flawless job of making Kakashi want to tear him apart.

Nevertheless, the Jounin knew that things weren't going to get any better for a while, knowing Orochimaru. But Kakashi was _not _going to make this easy for him.

………………………………………………………

"Alright!" Tsunade's booming voice easily reached the ears of each ninja standing atop the Hokage Tower, "You are all clear on the task at hand! And for this mission to be successful, you will all need to use extreme precision _and_ caution!! You're dealing with an S-Class Criminal and Sannin, so watch each others' backs!"

Tsunade finished up her speech quickly, dismissing the group, which fanned out immediately to start searching for Kakashi's scent. With any luck, they would find him and get him out of there in one piece, without any casualties. The group split into three separate units of four, searching east, west, and north for any traces of the scent they searched for. Thankfully, Kakashi had spent a number of years with the ANBU as their Captain, so his scent and chakra presence were not foreign to them.

"If anyone acquires any hints at all, notify the other groups immediately," The ANBU leading the northbound squad commanded into a small earpiece, connecting to the other two groups. He got determined responses right away. The ANBU shrugged a long black ponytail off his shoulder before turning to the rest of his group:

"I assume that you both know Kakashi's scent or chakra presence," His statement was directed towards Gai and Hiroto, who were following adamantly behind. Gai nodded seriously:

"I've been around Kakashi for a long time now. I don't have as keen of a nose as you ANBU, but I'll definitely be able to recognize his chakra presence."

The ANBU nodded in confirmation, then turned to Hiroto, "And you?"

"I've only known Kakashi shortly," The man answered, "So I haven't gotten any familiarity with him… But-"

"That's fine," The ANBU interrupted, "That's why we have Fang with us."

The ANBU behind Gai and Hiroto threw his fingers out in a half wave, his messy brown hair rustling like a leaf in the wind. A large husky-like dog accompanied him, "Yo."

"Fang's going to be taking the lead with Kuraru shortly," The ANBU in front motioned back to the tracker and his large friend, "He used to be in the same squad as Kakashi, so that should aid our search greatly."

"He and I worked together all of the time because of our ability to track so efficiently," Fang said, "Even helped me train Kuraru when he was still a pup. I've been around Wolf longer than even Raven has."

"Wolf?" Hiroto looked back up to Raven in somewhat confusion.

"Kakashi's ANBU Black Ops codename," Gai said suddenly, "He was Wolf."

"Oh, I see…" Hiroto murmured in almost awe, looking ahead once more, "I have heard many stories about him... About Wolf. It doesn't surprise me that Kakashi would actually be him."

"Fang, take your position," Raven ordered. Fang immediately replied accordingly, jumping up to the front of the squad with Kuraru to his left. Raven shifted to the back, leaving Gai and Hiroto in the middle.

"Raven," Hiroto said, turning his head around to face the man, "What other ANBU members or Jounin are in the other two groups?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Gai said, his eyebrows lowering just a little.

"I like to know the names of our subordinates," Hiroto continued, "For emergency situations, it may be necessary."

"You know all of us in this squad, obviously," Raven said, beginning to answer his question, "The second squad to the west contains Asuma Sarutobi, Talon, Panther, and Badger," Hiroto nodded to all of the names, trying to commit them to his memory as best as he could, "The squad to the east contains Genma Shiranui, Owl, Phoenix, and Fox."

Hiroto nodded again as he took into account everyone else's names. Gai's eyebrows lowered some more. Usually, he was quick to trust people, whether he was on a mission or not. But not this time. For some reason, this time just felt… Different. It may have been the fact that Gai was still fuming over the bastard Orochimaru actually getting his hands on Kakashi. But for some unexplainable reason, Gai did _not_ feel like this Hiroto character should be going along on a mission of such great importance to the Leaf Village.

Besides, he was originally from the Sound. That in itself made Gai anxious. There was no mistake though; if he thought that Hiroto was any threat to the mission, the village, or Kakashi, he'd deal with him.

"_Kakashi…_" Gai thought, turning his head back around to the front, "_I hope you're still in one piece…"_

……………………………………………………

The sudden sound of an iron gate opening made Kakashi lift his head, a glare already set firmly in place for whoever had just come in to 'greet' him. He was sure that they weren't going to be much more hospitable than Orochimaru. Dully, he noticed that the torches had been light again.

"Ooh," The figure that stood before Kakashi, clad in dark blue traditional shinobi clothing flinched back a little with a wicked grin on his face. His red eyes shone brightly, reminding Kakashi vaguely of Kenshin. His brow was covered by scraggly brown hair that stuck up in almost as odd an angle as Kakashi's, "Lord Orochimaru told me that you had a _piercing_ glare, Hatake."

Kakashi's glare tightened, "Oh yeah? And who might you be?"

The man before him grinned wider, "The third born of the Musashi Order: Masaru Tomichi. I can tell we're going to be good friends, Hatake."

Kakashi lifted his head up all the way after Masaru had introduced himself. An uncomfortable feeling twisted its way into his stomach when he announced that he was the third born of the same 'Order' that Kenshin had said he was from too. Masaru's eyes quickly glanced at Kakashi's neck.

"Feeling a little… Sore, today??" He smirked, looking back at Kakashi, whose eyes widened a little and then narrowed again.

"_So the numbing of my mark was planned then…_" The Copy Ninja thought sourly as Masaru was clearly already able to tell that the left side of his neck was numb, "_I should've known…_"

Masaru took a few steps forward, casually walking up to Kakashi and leaning over to get a closer look at his neck. The silver-haired man flinched back, but failed to understand what this new enemy could see if there was still cloth covering that area. He suddenly wished that his mask was back on…

Kakashi took a barely noticeable intake of breath and darted his eyes to the side when he saw Masaru pull something quickly out of his pocket that just barely glinted silver in the available torchlight.

His throat tightened up when he realized it was a needle.

"Sure are perceptive, aintcha?" Masaru smirked, lifting up the needle, "Don't worry. You won't feel a thing," He shoved the point into Kakashi's neck, "Literally."

Wincing slightly as the needle was forced into his neck, Kakashi's vision immediately began to go blurry. Cursing to himself, he found that soon his whole body seemed to go slack. The last thing he heard before the world tipped to the side was a jovial laugh from Masaru.

**Author's Note:**

**Oh my goodness, it has been for freaking ever since I updated last!! O.o I'm really sorry about that guys. I've been working on it over the course of this last month, but always got interrupted right when I got into the mood to write it…-.-' **

**So, yeah ! I hope you're all still enjoying this! I wanted to introduce the search party in this chapter and also move the plot along in regards to Kakashi's prison days… And yes, I did have fun making the ANBU names. XD I'm already toying around with picture ideas for them that I may post at a later date.**

**Please read and review!! :] You guys are amazin'!**


	16. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Hey everyone!! Sorry, but there was something that I needed to bring to your attention! **

**As most of you may know, at the end of the most recent chapter of "Cursed", I mentioned that I would try and have some drawings of the ANBU members going after Kakashi up so that you guys could see them. I said it would be at a later date, but… Turns out tonight I had a lot of free time (XP), so I went ahead and did some quick head shots of the ANBU members assisting in the rescue of our dear sensei. **

**Here's the link for the picture!**

**http :// izuhina- chan. deviantart. com/ art/ Kakashi- Retrieval- ANBU- 134770484**

**Of course, you'll have to remove the spaces, since FF's just weird like that… **

**But anyway! The picture is definitely not the best, in terms of what I normally put out, but it is meant only as a guide for you readers so you can kinda get a mental picture of the ANBU. **

**Thank you guys! I'm really happy about all of the support I've gotten for this story! :] Looking forward to hearing from more of you!**

**-Izumi**


	17. The Setting Sun

Kakashi tried to open his eyes, finding out quickly that the motion was suddenly extremely hard to do. Nevertheless, the Jounin's stubbornness made him try to squint at least, just to get a quick look at where he was now. Without even opening his eyes all the way, he could tell that he'd been moved.

For one thing, he was looking up at the ceiling. (Or at least what he assumed to be the ceiling based on the angle he was at) His whole body felt numb, but Kakashi could still feel something cold and hard on his wrists and ankles. It was a familiar feeling. He'd been tied down again. He would sigh if both his mouth and throat were capable of doing so. They were not.

Kakashi suddenly found that he had to blink his squint a few times before the glare of light around him became just a little less blurry. Wait… Light? And this wasn't torchlight. This was light from a bright lamp. In fact, in the back of his mind, the Jounin recognized this kind of light from various operations and surgeries done to him back in Konoha before he went under.

He hoped with all of his soul that he really was back in Konoha, and just waiting to undergo surgery. But reality was cruel. The bindings reminded him of that. Wait… Where exactly was he? How did he get here?? Thoughts began to race unanswered in his head, leaving the Copy Ninja completely

Just as Kakashi was about to let himself drift back into unconsciousness, which sounded like the better deal opposed to trying to stay awake and think, he heard a murmur of voices that he only vaguely recognized. Then again, his head felt like it had gained ten or twenty pounds since he was last awake, so that made it considerably harder to discern whose voices he was hearing. When was he last awake anyway? He couldn't even remember…

"Are you sure you gave him enough?"

A rather sultry low voice… "_Must be a woman_", Kakashi mused.

"Yeah, yeah, I did, I did!"

Another voice. More high-pitched and impatient sounding. Kakashi knew he recognized this one…

"Now now… Try not to be so impatient with him. Hmm?"

A third voice. For some unexplained reason, this one made Kakashi's fists begin to clench and sent a shudder down his spine. There was a deep pool of hatred for that voice imbedded within him, he knew it… But who did it belong to?! It frustrated the man that he couldn't remember, but he barely had the energy to lash out at himself mentally. His head was swimming.

The woman scoffed, "He stirred just now. Care to explain that, Masaru?" She spat the name distastefully.

Masaru… That rang a bell…

"Hey now, don't get mad at me, Yuuka!" Masaru said, almost with a laugh in his voice, "He was as limp as a freakin' washcloth when I injected the stuff."

"I'm sure," Yuuka didn't sound convinced.

Masaru laughed, "I was a little disappointed, really… Was hopin' he'd lash out and I'd get to play," He gave excited chuckles throughout his sentence, sounding incredibly anxious.

"You know you're not allowed," Yuuka said sharply, an obvious edge to her voice, "And knowing you, you'd go all-out and kill him before we even had the chance to start the tests."

Tests? What tests?

"Well, he's here, now isn't he?" Masaru said matter-of-factly, "No trouble at all," He laughed shortly, "Said I couldn't handle it, didn't ya?"

"Shut it," Yuuka hissed.

Kakashi was utterly confused by all of this information. He still didn't know where he was, or who these people were… Though his head felt like it was beginning to lighten. Things were slowly becoming clearer, even though it still felt like his head was swimming underwater. No longer in the deep end, though. He unclenched his fists, attempting to stretch his sore and cramping fingers.

Someone made a semi-alarmed sound. Masaru's laugh, which was beginning to sound very recognizable, rang through the air: "Well, whaddya know! Guy's still got some fight left in him! That was a big dosage too…" He sounded incredibly anxious again, like he wanted something very badly.

"I'm afraid Yuuka's right, Masaru…" The third voice that once again sent a chill down Kakashi's voice cooed, "You can't play with him right now. I'm afraid then our plans might not pull through."

Kakashi was baffled when he heard nothing in response from Masaru. He'd been silenced somehow. Who WAS that third voice? The man racked his ever-clearing brain for answers, his head slowly coming up out of the water for air. However, by the time he started to receive air back in his lungs again, the third voice spoke up:

"Yuuka, administer another- larger –dosage of the sedative."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Kakashi's eyes shot open and a half-croaked gasp escaped his throat as realization hit him like an anvil. And just as that realization hit him, he felt another prick at his neck like the one he had just remembered he'd experienced earlier. Once again, and so fast that he could barely even utter a word of protest, Kakashi's head was shoved underwater again.

And darkness consumed him.

………………………………………………..

"Anything yet, Fang?" Raven asked, for the third time in the past hour or two. Even though ANBU were supposed to conceal all emotion, even Gai and Hiroto could tell that Raven was getting nervous of losing Kakashi's scent.

"Nothing major, no," Fang answered accordingly, like the first time. Kuraru still held his nose high in the air, searching every which direction for the missing ninja in question.

They had just passed the border from Fire into Sound Country, and Gai had the sinking feeling that they would find a lead here somewhere. Of course, he wanted to find Kakashi as fast as possible, but the idea of what that snake bastard might be putting him through was enough to make even the Green Beast gag. Or just run faster. He found that he'd been prone to doing both.

Suddenly, the ear bud in Raven's left ear began to buzz noisily, causing the man to hold his hand up as a signal to the rest of the group. They all stopped accordingly, gathering around Raven as he put a hand to the earpiece to get a clearer sound.

"Hey, Raven," Came a smooth but edgy voice from one of the other lines.

"Shiranui?" Raven answered with a mix of terseness and seriousness at hearing Genma's voice addressing him

………………………………………………………..

"What happened? Where's Fox?" Raven's voice continued guardedly from the other side of the line.

Genma held the ear piece close, cupping it over with a hand as to not let the sound carry. He kept his hidden position atop a tall tree's branch, gazing out with a scrutinizing eye at the clearing before him. He wished Raven wouldn't get so excited, but it was to be expected…

In the ANBU, it was customary for the leader of a squad to report in when making a status report or alerting other teams. Fox was the leader of the eastbound team, so hearing Genma reporting in must have instantly made Raven tense up.

"He, Owl, and Phoenix are doing some investigation work," Genma responded.

"You found something?" Raven asked.

Genma's eyes narrowed, "We think so… At least, it certainly seems possible that what we've found has ties to Kakashi."

"And what is that?"

Genma's almost glare fell over the entirety of the clearing as he continued his assigned job of making sure no one was watching or following their movements. Fox, Owl, and Phoenix were each positioned in different areas down on ground, scouting out the area thoroughly.

"We've found a clearing," Genma continued, "One that clearly shows signs of a battle. We don't know how recent it is yet, but…"

"Alright. I understand," Raven said seriously, "Contact the other squad as well as us when you find out more."

"Got it."

The line went dead. Genma hopped down from the tree he was on, taking another look at the battle zone from a ground view. There were various holes in the ground, some bigger than others, and splotches of blood every here and there. Definitely a battle.

Fox swiped up a line of one of the blood splotches with a finger, bringing it close to his masked face and sniffing it. Part of Genma wondered how he could smell the blood clearly if he had a mask on, but tracking was Fox's specialty. If anyone could tell who fought here, it was him.

Owl and Phoenix proceeded to examine the other areas of battle for other things, stopping when Fox made a disgruntled sound. Phoenix turned his head up, tied orange hair flipping over his shoulder:

"What's the verdict?" He asked.

"Konoha blood…" The leader muttered, glancing down at the blood on his finger again.

"Do you know who?" Genma asked.

"... I've only been around him once, but it smells to me like this is the blood of the Nine-Tails brat…" Fox muttered.

Genma's gaze narrowed. They were definitely on to something here. If Naruto's blood was splattered across the ground here, then that meant Kakashi would not have been far behind. Everyone knew how much he cared for the kids.

Owl stood up from one of the holes in the ground he had been examining, "… This hole," He said in a deep voice, "Whoever created it must've been trained well with precise chakra control."

"Chakra still in the hole?" Phoenix asked, glancing over to look at his usually non-speaking partner. Owl nodded. Phoenix looked back to Fox and Genma, "You both know that Lady Tsunade had taken on a student, right?"

Genma and Fox looked at each other unknowingly, wondering briefly why that was important right now. But it was no surprise that Phoenix knew, being as he was a top Medical Ninja. He would know much about Lady Tsunade and the Hospital.

"Well," Phoenix continued, "Her student is Sakura Haruno. One of Kakashi's other students, right?"

"So you're saying Sakura made those holes?" Genma asked, not quite believing what had just been implied.

"Quite possibly," Phoenix said, "Lady Tsunade isn't just teaching her Medical Ninjutsu. She's teaching Sakura how to use the monster strength that she's famous for. That strength relies on precise chakra control. So much that there may be still some left over in the impact point even days after the original battle took place."

"It hasn't been that long," Fox crossed his arms, "By the potency of the Kyuubi brat's blood, I'd say this fight took place late morning. Perhaps around eleven hundred hours."

Genma took note of the ever-lowering sun, trying to factor in everything from the mission that Squad Seven had been sent on earlier. It took two hours at top speed to get to the border between the Fire and Sound Country. If they left semi-early in the morning, there was a high possibility that the group had been intercepted by the enemy shortly after crossing the border.

"Who was their enemy, exactly?" Genma asked.

"According to the status report from Lady Hokage," Fox said, "their opponent was a seemingly samurai opponent who called himself Kenshin. Apparently he had quite a lot of power."

"I'll say," Genma grunted, "If he was able to apprehend Kakashi…"

"Did the Hokage specify what kind of power the man held?" Owl asked, kneeling down next to the largest hole and having to step over misplaced pieces of earth on his way down.

"His abilities seemed to go hand in hand with his appearance," Fox said, continuing the briefing of more exclusive information that Tsunade had given only to the team leaders, "He wields a sword, but didn't use any jutsu, as you all heard. However, there was this ability that the Hokage did mention… The swings of his sword, apparently, were much stronger than the strength a normal sword would have. It's fair to believe that he had chakra imbedded in his weapon."

"That would definitely explain the larger holes," Genma noted.

Phoenix knew Owl the best of the three of them, so he also knew that the man wouldn't ask a question like that so receive an answer concerning chakra. The man was an expert on chakra, so he didn't need to ask questions about it. And there was always a more specific reason behind his questions when he asked them, "There's chakra in those holes too, eh?" Phoenix guessed.

Owl hesitated before shaking his head slowly, "... No, this… Is not chakra."

The others in the group all took on looks of surprise, "Not chakra?" Fox questioned, "I thought it would be similar to what had been in the other holes."

"They are quite similar," Owl acknowledged, standing up, "But this substance… Whatever it is, it's not chakra. They share most of the same properties, but there are a few key differences between chakra and whatever this is. Though a normal ninja probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Nobody doubted Owl's word as they all sat in silence for a moment. He was the expert after all… He could see and understand things about chakra that most expert ninja couldn't even hope to comprehend. But expert or not, this news didn't sit well with anyone…

Suddenly, Fox spoke up, "… That certainly would explain something…" The rest of the squad looked over at him. Taking that as an invitation, the man went ahead, "In the briefing, another strange ability of his was mentioned. One of the squad had gotten a hit on the samurai, during their fight but he placed his hand over the wound and healed it extremely quickly, without any mark or scar being left behind."

"Medical Ninjutsu?" Genma suggested, though he knew it couldn't be that easy.

Phoenix shook his head, "No, wait… This sounds fishy… Who attacked him, and with what?"

"Sasuke Uchiha, with the learned Chidori from Kakashi," Fox said, almost with a sour tone.

Phoenix grunted, "I knew it. Then it wasn't Medical Ninjutsu. If an attack like that hit you, even if it was just a knick, there would be-at the very least –a burn mark or a gash. Even if the samurai were to know healing jutsu, he wouldn't be able to wipe all traces of the contact point off that quickly."

Genma bit down on his lip, suddenly wishing there was a senbon there. This definitely complicated things. If the enemy was using some sort of strange never-before-seen ability, it would be considerably harder for the retrieval team to get Kakashi away from Orochimaru while sustaining the least amount of casualties possible. They would definitely have to stay on their toes.

"… So he could even heal himself completely with this strange ability of his…" Fox mumbled in distaste, the gears in his mind working overtime to try and figure out a semi-painless solution to all of this new information. First he turned to Genma, "Genma, contact the other squads and tell them what we've found."

"Right away," Genma nodded seriously, tapping his ear bud and beginning to make contact with the north and west bound squads. Fox turned back around to Phoenix and Owl, who had both moved so that they were standing loyally in front of him.

"Don't tell them anything extensive," Fox added in a louder voice, referring to Genma without turning to him, "Just give them the basics, and tell them we _need_ to meet up. Soon."

"Roger."

Fox looked up at the sun that was progressively getting lower and lower in the sky. Suddenly it seemed to be lowering fast. He was reminded once again of their reason for coming out here, and his fists tightened just slightly. They were running out of time…

Time their Captain didn't have.

**Author's Note:**

**Hello again everyone! Once again, it has been a while! (Not as long as last time, mind you, but still a while!) As payment for making you wait long again, I typed up the longest chapter – so far –of my story! Yaaaay! XP **

**Thank you all again for keeping up with my story and leaving such awesome reviews! I find all of your input valuable, and appreciate even the smallest comment! Keep on goin'! **

**Hope you enjoy! **


	18. Nowhere To Run

"How much longer until we reach the meeting spot?" Talon asked with noticeable anxiousness.

By the irritated sigh that was almost a growl Badger let loose, the others of the squad thought for sure that he was just about ready to strangle the boy, "Ask again and I'll make sure you _never_ get there."

Panther quickly intervened before things got too out of control between the two of them: "We're only a few miles away now," She said calmly, not turning around from her spot at the front of the group. She glanced to the left, "Badger, keep your pants on."

A low chuckle was heard from Asuma in the back. Badger growled again. Talon began to giggle, himself, but was silenced by a glare he knew the older man behind him was giving him. Asuma shook his head:

"Come on guys," He began, "This is a serious mission. We don't really have time to hate each other right now."

"I agree with Asuma," Panther said with a nod, "If you two don't shape up, I'll kick your asses all the way back to Konoha," There was a seriousness in her voice that reminded all of them why she was the leader of the small squad they were in. Badger spat:

"Fine."

"Yes ma'am," Talon said, almost ruefully. Asuma was vaguely reminded of two brothers who just got grounded for fighting and smiled, despite what he had previously said about this being a serious mission. After a few more seconds, Panther held a hand out to stop them, which they all did quickly. She turned to face them.

"I'm going to go scout ahead," She said. She pointed at the youngest member of the group, "Talon, you're coming with me."

He seemed excited, "Alright!"

The two of them were off in a flash, leaving Asuma and Badger to stay semi-hidden amongst the trees. Asuma smiled a little again, turning towards the well-muscled man, who seemed to have relaxed suddenly.

"You certainly seem calmer all of a sudden," He mentioned.

Badger scoffed, "Any moment without that kid around is a good moment for me."

Asuma shook his head, "Do you really dislike him that much?"

"If that wasn't already obvious, you've got issues of your own, Sarutobi," Asuma could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I guess so," He chuckled back, and they stood in silence for just a moment before Badger spoke up again.

"He's naive," The man grunted, "And so freakin' reckless you'd think he wouldn't have made it the fifteen years he's been alive."

"Reckless? Isn't that what you're famous for?" Asuma's grin widened.

Badger chuckled darkly, "Smartass," Asuma returned his chuckle, "I have more sense than he has. When I charge into a situation, I _know _what I'm doing. But that kid," He gestured loosely in the direction Talon and Panther had set off in, "He never knows what the hell he's doin'."

Asuma glanced in the direction the two had set off to scout in, "… He's only fifteen?"

Badger nodded, "Yeah…" He said with a sour tone before leaning against a tree, "That's way too damn young."

Suddenly, Asuma knew why Badger 'hated' Talon.

"Well?" Asuma was called away from his thoughts when Panther and Talon came leaping back through the trees, landing in front of him and Badger without so much as a sound.

"Like I said before, we don't have much farther to go," Panther said in response to Badger's half-question.

"Only a mile and a half; probably less," Talon finished, with an upbeat tone. Clearly, he was glad that they were about to arrive at their destination.

"Alright," Asuma nodded with Badger, and they all started to move again, shifting back into their rightful positions. The Jounin suddenly started to think about the reason they were all out here… Kakashi.

Asuma was infuriated when he learned about what had happened with Kakashi. He would've come along on the Retrieval Mission even if they didn't want him to. He was determined to get his friend back to Konoha, no matter what it took. It didn't quite make sense to him, though… Curious, he asked Panther:

"Panther," He said.

"Yes?" She replied.

"… Why do you suppose Orochimaru would want Kakashi?"

The atmosphere seemed to darken in and of itself after the question was asked, and there were a few moments before Panther answered. Badger and Talon looked up at her expectantly too, because this was a legitimate question that everyone on this mission probably asked themselves once or twice already.

"I'm not quite sure," She answered truthfully.

"Gai told me that Orochimaru said it was for some… 'Plan B'," Asuma said. A similar chill ran down everyone's spines when they heard that. For some reason, no matter who said it, or who it was said to, that same chill would return. It was probably because the thought of that snake bastard having his eyes set on someone _else _in Konoha as well as Sasuke didn't sit very well with anyone.

"… It's hard to say what that means," Panther responded, "With _him_, it's hard to tell," She spat the 'him' like it was a gross word.

"Doesn't quite matter, anyway," Badger grunted. Attention was shifted back to him, "What it means," He clarified. Talon nodded, turning to Asuma. He spoke with words that sounded just a mite too experienced for the voice that said them:

"Yeah," He agreed with Badger, "We're supposed to go and find Kakashi-senpai and bring him back to Konoha. It doesn't matter the reason; it's just what we have to do. So we'll do it," He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Asuma smiled softly, chuckling a little before returning his attention to the path ahead of them, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Badger and Panther smirked behind their masks. Only a kid could sum up the duties of the ANBU as simply as that.

Suddenly, the trees broke ahead of them, allowing the small bit of light they had to increase just a little as a large clearing appeared before them. The three stopped mechanically as Panther held a hand up, and glanced over the scene before them.

"Whoa…" Talon mused quietly, gazing at the splotches of blood and giant holes that were present throughout the clearing. Asuma's stomach twisted a little when he realized that this was the spot where Squad Seven fought when Kakashi was taken. Realizing that most all of this blood belonged to Genin was not something that he could get used to.

Panther analyzed every speck of dust in the area, until her eyes caught on a kunai to the left of them, lodged in the ground, with its handle pointing into the trees behind them. She held up another hand to get the squad's focus, and then briefly motioned toward the kunai with a shrug. Badger and Talon nodded. Asuma took the liberty to look vaguely confused, deciding to not ask questions until they were out of plain sight.

They were moving again. The group followed behind their leader, who pulled the kunai out of the ground effortlessly, and then sidestepped into the trees the handle was pointing to, the squad mimicking her actions mechanically. Just as Asuma was about to open his mouth to speak, he saw another kunai lodged into the ground to the side of them, its handle pointing back deeper inside of the forest.

They only stopped for a second, Panther pulling that kunai out of the ground as well, and jogging ahead of them. Asuma was slowly beginning to figure this out. Or so he thought. It seemed to him that this was a way of pointing to a meeting location, which was highly probable. It wasn't very smart for the ANBU to meet up in a large clearing where they could all be seen.

Suddenly, it seemed, they were surrounded by masks. Asuma was only surprised for a second before he realized that these were all also ANBU members. He kicked himself mentally for being so jumpy, but the speed at which they came out barely gave him time to stay calm.

Panther tossed the two kunai to Fox, who caught them effortlessly and slid them back into his pouch. He looked the group over, "Good. Seems like we're all here now."

Everyone was in a large circle, standing within their own groups. Raven was the first to speak up, "So, Fox, this information is vital?"

Fox nodded, his white mask being the only thing anyone could see clearly in the ever-fading light of the setting sun, "As you all undoubtedly saw when you came into the clearing, there was a battle fought out here. However, Kakashi's blood is not amongst the pools out there. As you can imagine, that was unsettling."

This surprised quite a few, people glancing around at each other warily. Gai and Asuma shared identical grimaces as the conclusion came about that all that blood belonged to the kids.

"Hiroto, is it?" Panther looked across the circle to the man, who immediately stood up straighter, facing her with a serious, but tired expression.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You were there, weren't you?" She crossed her arms.

"Yes…"

"Then you should know why none of Kakashi's blood was out in that clearing, should you not?"

He nodded, "Yes, I do," He turned just slightly so that he could project to the rest of the group as well, "When Kenshin first came; he stated that he was there to 'observe' Kakashi."

"Observe him??" Fang asked in confusion.

Hiroto nodded again, "We were unclear of what that meant. Even Kakashi seemed like he had no idea what the man actually wanted, or what he meant. Kakashi tried to hold him off, protecting his students as well. For some reason…" Hiroto seemed very perplexed by this, "Kenshin seemed extremely adamant about attacked Kakashi's students; not him personally."

This warranted confusion and unrest within the ANBU members, "I thought you said Kakashi had fought him too?" Fox asked.

"Shortly. Like I said, Kenshin was only interested in his students it seemed, so Kakashi had his hands full trying to protect them. Soon after, Kenshin did a jutsu that made vines launch out from the forest and grab Kakashi, pinning him to a tree."

Genma shifted uncomfortably in his spot as he recalled seeing a badly singed tree in the clearing. He hadn't brought it up with the others of his squad, though, because he thought it just another little thing that happened during the battle.

"So, then he started to attack the Genin?" Raven asked sourly.

Hiroto nodded, almost hesitantly, "I tried to help them. I thought we had him for a little while, but he just kept on getting up and healing himself," He shook his head, "The kids knew that they had to free Kakashi in order to stand a chance, so Naruto went over to him in an attempt to get the vines off of him," His expression darkened, "Kakashi had already yelled at them to run, but they didn't listen."

That didn't surprise anyone. If Kakashi was given a choice between his loved ones' lives and his own, he would choose their lives; no question. He never once thought about himself in dangerous situations involving other team members.

"Kenshin ran up to Naruto and sliced his side right open," Hiroto continued dryly. Retelling this part wasn't very exciting for him, "And then when Sasuke and Sakura came over to help him, the man knocked Sasuke back as well, causing some serious damage," Suddenly he looked sad, "Kakashi was absolutely horrified."

There was a small silence amongst the group before Genma spoke up, "Wait. Since Kenshin was working for Orochimaru, and Orochimaru's the one who put the Curse Mark on Kakashi, then do you think there was some sort of underlying reason why Kenshin attacked the kids so ruthlessly?" His question was aimed at everyone.

"… Orochimaru must know how much Kakashi cares for his kids," Badger muttered gruffly.

"He must," Panther agreed, "But that still leaves the question: what happened to Kakashi to make him submissive to Kenshin? Was it a threat?"

"… I don't think so," Genma said, "I never said anything, but out in the clearing, one of the larger trees had a really bad burn mark on it. I immediately recognized it as the mark from Kakashi's Chidori," His brow lowered, "But from the intensity of the burn, Kakashi must have been incredibly angry."

"That's… That's right," Hiroto said, like he suddenly remembered something, "I don't know what happened, but suddenly Kakashi got ridiculously angry. He managed to lift his headband to reveal his Sharingan and then activate the Chidori with no hand signs at all. The vines snapped immediately, and I thought he was going to tear Kenshin apart."

"What happened then?" Raven asked, "When Kakashi gets _that_ angry, his opponents are never left standing."

There was a low murmur of agreement from just about everyone in the group. Hiroto was surprised; it seemed like everyone here had prior mission experience with the Copy Ninja. Nevertheless, he went on:

"Kenshin managed to dodge the first Chidori, but only barely. I was sure that he wouldn't be so lucky a second time, when…" His eyes squinted a little as he was pulled deep in thought, "He just suddenly stopped. Froze, like a statue. His Chidori just simmered away to nothing. Before any of us knew what was going on, he cried out in pain and these… Odd black markings seemed to cover his entire body. Only a second after the markings spread, he collapsed on the ground, still in visible pain…"

There was a sharp intake of breath by many of the listeners after Hiroto had mentioned the 'odd black markings' covering his body. The air seemed to stiffen around them as Hiroto finished, "Kenshin seemed ecstatic, picking Kakashi up and leaving…" He looked up to face everyone, "But… he said that he hadn't 'expected it to be that far along' already…"

"The Curse Mark," Gai said coldly, "It makes sense, now. Orochimaru does know how much Kakashi cares for his students. He must have given Kenshin careful instructions to only attack the Genin… He knew how infuriated it would make Kakashi to see his students suffering," His gaze hardened, "He was trying to goad Kakashi into using his Sharingan, which would activate the Curse Mark."

"And it worked…" Asuma muttered in a low voice.

"So when Kenshin said that 'it' was farther along then he expected…" Phoenix mused, "He meant the Curse Mark. That makes sense…"

There was an almost eerie silence among the group as everyone took a beat to process this information. If anything, this news only complicated things for them. But, they couldn't just ignore it. Now, at least, they knew the reason why Kakashi lost. For some reason, because of the mentioning of the Curse Mark, it seemed like the stakes were higher.

"We move out immediately at the break of dawn," Raven said firmly, breaking the silence, "It's fair to assume that Orochimaru is anticipating the Leaf Village's take of action. Besides, snakes prefer the dark. It'll be safer this way."

There was a consecutive nod from everyone just as darkness overtook the sky.

………………………………………………………

Kakashi jerked awake as a painful shock racked through his body.

His arched back slowly found its way back to the cold stone floor as he exhaled shakily, letting his eyes adjust to the dim and familiar torchlight around him. He managed to let out a soft moan as another small tingle ran through his numbed body. He didn't any more of those painful happenings would hurt much anymore because of how thick and numb he felt.

Well, at least he was able to move his wrists and ankles again.

Kakashi rotated said body parts slowly, stretching out his fingers and toes and allowing them to gratefully stretch. He hoisted himself up to his elbows slowly and ascended shakily to a sitting position.

Looking around, the Jounin concluded that he was back in his cell. The iron bars and chains on the back wall assured him of that. He breathed in deeply, realizing with a start that he could feel the stale air hitting him in the face. He frowned. He moved his arm up to his neck, albeit shakily, and yanked his mask back up to its proper place.

Kakashi felt secure with it back on. Still, the fact that the snake bastard had seen his face absolutely infuriated him.

Orochimaru… His expression soured as he thought back to the last time he heard his voice. It was among two other voices. One he now reasoned to be that Masaru Tomichi character he had met earlier. (He didn't quite know how much earlier, because he didn't know how long he'd been out) The other… Well, he didn't know. Masaru called her Yuuka, but he didn't know anything else besides that. Nor did he care to.

Suddenly he stiffened, thinking back to when they were talking about conducting 'tests' on him. The words 'dosage' and 'sedative' came up, and Kakashi didn't like them. The thought of being 'tested' on by that creep was a generally sickening one.

"… _Maybe that would explain these odd pains,_" He thought, wincing just a tad as another short jolt went through his shoulder.

The thought didn't comfort him. Kakashi hated not knowing what was going on, especially when it involved strange tests that might have been performed on him. And why did they just toss him back into his cell? They didn't even bother to chain him up. Was that really smart?

The Copy Ninja slowly tried ascending to his feet, wobbling more than a few times before feeling his feet plant themselves firmly on the ground. He sucked in another deep breath and walked around a little, still wobbly. He hobbled to one of the walls by the iron gates and gave them a once over.

"_Even if I have low chakra stores, these bars aren't all that sturdy…_" He thought, "_I could bend them easily._"

Not that it was an all-around good idea. He was definitely not quite up to snuff, and even if he was, with the damned mark on his neck, he doubted how far he would get without killing himself. That would be preferable, however, if he was given the option to be Orochimaru's new toy or die.

Out of curiosity, Kakashi decided to focus some chakra to his hands and see how far he could get. Sucking in yet another breath, he started to draw in chakra to his arms. As a faint blue hue started to cover his hands, an incredibly piercing pain started to ring throughout his body. This was almost three times worse than the other shocks he had been feeling. He muffled a loud cry, tipping over to his side and digging his nails into the stone wall to try and keep himself standing. Kakashi slid to his knees as he suppressed other undignified whimpers and moans.

The pain died down to a tingle as his knees hit the ground. His breathing was raspy and shaky, and his fingers still twitched in the stone wall with aftershock from the horrible pain that had struck them. Beads of sweat dripped off of his face.

Slowly, he managed to turn himself around, sliding to his backside and trying to steady his breath again, "_What the hell was that?!_" He wondered furiously, staring momentarily at his shaky hands that still felt the tiniest little tingle.

Kakashi let out as much of a growl as he could muster when he tried to put two and two together. This was definitely _his_ doing. Whatever strange 'tests' they had put him through, they had cut off his chakra somehow. Now it made a lot more sense to Kakashi why they didn't chain him up to the wall. It also made the sinking feeling in his stomach grow exponentially.

He couldn't escape.

**Author's Note:**

**Hi everyone! I'm SO so sorry for not updating sooner! It's been almost a full month now, and for that, I apologize. **

**I've been really busy since school started, so I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to get to these chapters. It could be in intervals of weeks, or even a month. I'll try to get them out as soon as I can though! **

**I am SO excited about this story getting over 100 reviews! That's so amazing! I'd like to thank each one of you for you input. Every little comment makes me feel really good! Thanks a whole lot! Hugs for all! :] **

**I'd also like to thank KakashiKrazed especially, because they always leave really descriptive and amazing comments that I look forward to every time I update! X3 **

**But, again, I enjoy all of your input very much, and am honored that you all are following along and enjoying a story of mine!**

**So, I hope you all STILL like it, as the plot gets thicker and thicker!**


	19. Taming The Wolf

Kakashi shifted from his spot leaning on the wall after he was sure his breathing was going at an acceptable rate. With a slight grunt, the man hoisted himself up from his sitting position and pushed himself off the wall in one movement. Not the smartest of ideas, he found, after he almost face-planted on the ground that he was already getting sick of staring at.

Cursing a few times to himself, the Copy Ninja steadied himself with a hand on the wall and gathered his bearings before slowly pushing off again, now more successful. Shortly, the man glanced about the room, looking for any other means of escape. Granted, he didn't expect to find much, but one could always hope.

Of course, Orochimaru had a way with making whatever hope someone had wither away into nothing. One of the reasons, Kakashi was sure, why he had become such a threat to every village he came in contact with over the years.

The gray-haired man sighed heavily and staggered over to different corners of the room, taking the opportunity to both asses his current situation and stretch his tired legs out:

"_As I expected…_" He thought dryly after a few minutes, glancing one more time up at the ceiling that covered him, "_No other obvious exits. Knowing the snake bastard, there probably aren't any hidden ones either."_ Kakashi wished his pessimism wouldn't keep sneaking up on him like this. He was beginning to actually succumb to it.

The ever-approaching tap of hurried footsteps quickly got the man's attention. He turned his head to the iron bars that separated him from freedom cautiously, at this point not knowing who or what to expect. Shadows bounced off the walls in the dim torchlight, showing a head of spiky hair making its way steadily toward the Copy Ninja. His mind automatically went to the only spiky-haired person in this damned place he knew of: Masaru Tomichi. He sneered to himself when he saw and heard that he was right.

Masaru skidded to a halt in front of Kakashi's cage, his face immediately lighting up with enough brightness to outmatch five torches when he saw the man standing upright. His lips curved into what was becoming an annoyingly familiar crooked grin, though this time there was wildness in his eyes to match his smile. Without taking his eyes off Kakashi, the younger boy shouted back to his right:

"He's standing up, sir!" He was ecstatic, "_Quite_ an impressive ninja you are, Hatake," His eyes glimmered with a sort of dark anticipation that made Kakashi's stomach twist. He made his best effort at a sneer, which just made the feverish excitement in Masaru's face grow tenfold.

A low, dark chuckle that echoed off the walls reached Kakashi's ears and made him freeze him his place. A tall dark silhouette morphed into sickly yellow eyes and hair darker than death. Kakashi realized dully that Masaru's dark look of anticipation was only a shadow of his masters'.

"You really never cease to amaze me, Kakashi," The way Orochimaru hissed his name was enough to make the man spit. He would have if he was, under no circumstances, going to pull off his mask again. The Sannin continued like he didn't even register the dark look his prisoner gave him, "Just having the Curse Mark moving along so fast so soon is truly a feat in itself," His yellow eyes appraised the Jounin carefully, "And now you manage to come back into consciousness only a few hours after being subject to some of my more rigorous tests," His smile widened, "Truly your father's son, aren't you?"

Kakashi wanted to rip the man's throat out, "Go to hell," He jeered venomously, hands clenching up into fists. Masaru made an excited- almost laughing -sound and took an eager step forward when Orochimaru calmly extended a hand out to stop him. He followed suit almost regretfully.

"Now, now, Masaru," He cooed gently, like he was scolding a child, "Don't get too excited. You have to let me explain to our dear guest first."

Kakashi stiffened. Part of him didn't want to know what was going to happen next; he felt knowing would only make whatever it was worse. Orochimaru's attention was immediately brought back to him, "Though I'm quite impressed by how well you've been doing, Kakashi, I've decided to administer some discipline."

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat for half a second before he muttered through gritted teeth, "Discipline? And why's that?"

"Oh, it's really very simple, my boy," Orochimaru waved the apprehension in Kakashi's voice off like this was going to be some sort of lovely training session among friends. Suddenly the door to the iron bars was opened and Masaru stepped inside zealously, causing Kakashi to take a surprised step back. As the cage clanged shut, Orochimaru's teeth glinted in the torchlight:

"I just don't like that fire in your eyes. And don't think I've forgotten the disrespect you showed me yesterday," Kakashi's gaze was full of fury as he locked eyes with the Sannin for only a moment, remembering with somewhat pride how he had spat at his feet, "Even the wildest of wolves can be broken, boy. And I'll make sure you're groveling at my feet soon. "

The Copy Ninja's gaze was hard, at first unbelieving, as Orochimaru stepped casually away from the bars and strolled down the dimply lit hallway, laughing manically as if he had just told or heard a good joke. Masaru's voice made his gaze center again:

"I've been told not to kill ya, Hatake," He said, "So, I won't. However," His dull red eyes gleamed, "I've been _very _jumpy lately, which is bad news for you. I won't kill you," He laughed, "But that's all I'm promising!"

Kakashi barely got into a battle-ready stance when the younger ninja leaped toward him viciously. He took a startled bend backwards as Masaru lashed out at his face with a hand that looked much more like a claw. He quickly caught himself before falling all the way over, jumping back to anticipate his attacker's next move.

He reached absent-mindedly to his side, where his hand felt only cloth. Cursing to himself, he realized that he had no form of weapon to defend himself with. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Kakashi's hand-to-hand skills were nothing to be ashamed of at all, but in his current state, he doubted how long and how efficiently he'd be able to fight with his taijutsu alone.

His Sharingan was out of commission too. Also a problem.

Masaru struck for him again with lightning speed, this time actually managing to nick Kakashi in the side a little before he jumped out of the way, eyes already blurring and stomach already churning. He didn't know whether he was slowing down or whether Masaru was just incredibly fast. The latter was confirmed when suddenly, the enemy ninja disappeared.

Kakashi froze, and suddenly a sharp and blinding pain erupted from his back. He cried out in pain, falling to his knees and feeling thick sticky warmness envelope his back and drip down to the floor. His vision swam with a variety of blacks and reds. Masaru's frenzied laugh seemed to bring him out of the pain momentarily, and suddenly his senses seemed to return to him.

He felt a strong chakra signature next to him suddenly, and closing in fast. As quickly as he could manage, the Jounin whipped up his hand and stopped the fist with only a small amount of recoil. He couldn't tell if the noise Masaru made was a low whistle of admiration or a single chuckle. He twisted his head to the side and glowered at the red-eyed boy menacingly, which made the ever-present grin on his face widen.

"I see you still got some fight left in ya!" He cried out happily, "That's good! I was beginning to think I wouldn't have much fun here!"

Kakashi's fingers tightened around Masaru's fist, nails digging into flesh, as he shoved him backwards, causing him to stagger only a little bit. The Copy Ninja stood up semi-shakily and immediately rushed forward to get the upper hand, sending a fist flying towards the face he wanted to break.

Masaru ducked quickly, and Kakashi adapted, crouching down and sweeping his foot back towards his opponent, catching him off-guard, though not quite as much as he would have hoped. Though surprised, Masaru still managed to flip over Kakashi's leg and regain his composure, howling happily.

"_How the hell is he so fast?!_" Kakashi wondered heatedly as he shot his forearms up to protect his face from another punch that made his arms pop unpleasantly, "_And powerful… He's definitely stronger than the average shinobi._"

"What's the matter, Hatake?" Masaru asked mockingly, "You look like you're thinking pretty hard about somethin'! This is a fight, genius, so thinking hard like that will only get you killed!"

He shot forward, grabbing Kakashi by the neck and slamming him into the opposite wall, causing some rock to shatter. The Jounin gasped sharply in pain as his back throbbed aggressively. Masaru grinned, pushing Kakashi further up against the wall and tightening his grip around his neck:

"See what I mean? Luckily for you, I'm not allowed to kill ya!"

Kakashi swiftly swung up both of his legs and shoved them into Masaru's abdomen, causing a crunching sound to echo throughout the empty room. The man gasped breathlessly and was blown to his back. Kakashi made sure his feet were planted firmly on the ground before gasping:

"Luckily for _you_, I'm not in the best condition right now. You'd be dead if I was."

Masaru lifted his head furiously right as Kakashi sped forward and raised his fist to hit him right in between the eyes. His eyes widened and he rolled out of the way, climbing up to his hands and knees just as Kakashi made contact with the ground, causing some stones to splinter around his fist. Seeing that he obviously didn't hit his target, the man stood upright, ready for whatever may come next.

Masaru's gaze settled shortly on Kakashi's fist as he caught trails of blood on his knuckles, seeping down towards his wrist and staining his dark blue glove a darker black-looking color. He grinned, locking his eyes back up towards his silver-haired adversary.

"Looks like you're doing more than your body can handle," He laughed, "Why so angry?" Kakashi's gaze narrowed, "Your eyes look a little glazed over too, Hatake."

Kakashi chuckled, a broken phlegm-y sound, "Pretty odd question, coming from the one who's trying to dismantle me."

Masaru tossed his head up and laughed shortly before his focus went back to his opponent, "Dismantle? I haven't gotten permission for _that _yet, unfortunately."

Part of Kakashi got a sinking feeling in his stomach and part of him scoffed when he realized that the man was completely serious, and had every intention of wanting to actually dismantle him later, when he 'got permission.'

Masaru launched forward again, throwing a punch at Kakashi that he blocked, and continuing with a seemingly fast onslaught of other strikes. It was only then that Kakashi noticed how clumsy his footing was getting, and how his vision kept on blurring in and out of focus. His breath was ragged, and his head pounded. This wasn't good.

He could feel his breaking point creeping up uncomfortably fast.

Slowing down considerably, Kakashi had left himself much more susceptible to attacks. Masaru took account of this rather quickly, and used it to land a hard blow to the ninja's side, causing him to grunt agonizingly and fly to the side, smashing to the ground noisily.

Kakashi coughed up a warm metallic-tasting substance that couldn't actually escape from his mouth because of the mask that covered it. But he wouldn't remove the material; not in the presence of that bastard. That would only be proving to himself that he had really lost all of his fight, and he wasn't ready to give that up. He struggled to get to his feet, hands awkwardly trying to push him up from his sideways position on the ground. They shook with the movement, and it seemed like all of his strength had just disappeared.

Masaru laughed heartily at seeing Kakashi's struggle, "You're really a mess, aren't you Hatake?? One kick to the side and you're on the ground," He walked casually over to the man who made every effort to glare spitefully at him. Masaru just laughed again, stepping on Kakashi's head firmly and earning a pained grunt, "You do look like you're half-dead though…" He almost sounded upset, "So I guess our playtime is over," He chuckled, "Lord Orochimaru wouldn't like it if I damaged you _too_ much."

He slid his foot off of Kakashi's head and pivoted around, giggling like an eager child as he opened the iron gate to the cell, "That was exciting, Hatake! I hope you live long enough so that we can play again," His giggling turned into laughter as his footsteps tapped down the hall, growing farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.

Kakashi lifted a hand slowly and shakily up to his face, ripping down his mask and proceeding to gasp, going into a coughing fit that rattled his body and caused blood to spurt out of his mouth. When the coughing finally subsided, he concentrated on taking as many deep breaths as he could, though they were shaky, and tried to get his vision to stop blurring so much. It was hurting his already throbbing head even more than it should've been.

Kakashi tried clumsily to at least sit up, crawling over to a wall first and painfully pulling himself up and twisting around so that his back was against the wall. He grimaced as his raw and bleeding back made contact with the hard surface. Exhaling, he decided to try and stop the bleeding of whatever injuries he could, even though he knew the work would be shoddy.

Reaching down painfully to his legs, Kakashi used whatever strength he had left to tear off a piece of the fabric. He slid off his now sticky right glove and started to wrap the cloth around it, trying to hold it down to try and stop the bleeding of his knuckles that had spread blood almost all the way past his wrist.

Ruefully, he realized he couldn't do anything about his back, which was still dripping blood, "_Great,_" He thought tiredly, "_It's the most devastating wound, and I can't even treat it." _

The Copy Ninja shook his head slowly, even that movement becoming a liability. He realized that the only thing he could do now was rest and hopefully alleviate the throbbing pain that was racing through his head, and the soreness that was currently incapacitating him. Suddenly, his mind left him, and Kakashi's world tipped to the side.

He hardly registered the new short wave of pain as his head once again made contact with the ground.

……………………………………………………………………..

"… Are you sure it was such a good idea to let Masaru administer the discipline, sir?" Yuuka asked with a mixture of annoyance and nervousness.

"Are you doubting me, Yuuka dear?" Orochimaru's voice was silky smooth as his eyes narrowed in the woman's direction. A trace of fear shone in her red eyes as she bowed down immediately, orange hair falling in front of her face:

"Never, Lord Orochimaru. Please forgive my impudence."

Orochimaru's lips curved into a smile as he gently touched the top of her head with his palm, "Good girl. Of course I'll forgive you."

She looked up at him with a smile of relief, "Thank you, sir."

"As for why I sent Masaru…" The Sannin continued, "He was getting quite anxious. This was a perfect way for him to let out some of his anger, as well as teach Kakashi some… Manners."

"… He knows not to kill Kakashi?" Yuuka's already low voice went even lower.

"He won't," Orochimaru said calmly, examining some test tubes of various shapes and sizes laid out on the dining room table before them, "He knows what would happen to him if he did."

Yuuka shook a little involuntarily. She noticed Orochimaru pick up a certain test tube, gazing at it expectantly, and she stepped up beside him to eye it herself. Being the keeper of all of these chemical mixtures and compounds, she knew exactly what it was.

"Already, sir?" She asked curiously, an eyebrow rising.

"Yes…" He hissed contentedly, smiling widely, "He has performed marvelously so far. That and those Konoha dogs are nearing our home. I think it would be polite to have a little surprise waiting for them when they got here, don't you Yuuka?"

"Yes, sir," She smiled, "It's a splendid idea."

He handed his associate the slender tube carefully. She took it with the same amount of care, "Prepare the second dosage, Yuuka."

She nodded, "When should I have it ready by, Lord Orochimaru?"

He turned around to leave the Medical Bay, pausing only momentarily to answer Yuuka's question:

"We administer it tomorrow morning. In seven hours."

**Author's Note: **

"_**Why so angry?" **_

**I was SO tempted to write 'Why so serious?' there. No joke. XD It took a great deal of self-control to not write it. **

**SO, SO sorry for being a total loser with these updates!! I really feel bad about it! But school's had me really tied up, and I had writer's block for the longest time… O.o But that is hopefully over, and I will try to get the next chapter up sooner, though I can't make any promises… **

**In other news, this chapter was all about Kakashi! (Mostly) Yay! Well, I don't know if you'd rejoice for that, because the whole chapter really just described the Sensei getting the crap beaten out of him. (*sweat drop*) But I really wanted to write a chapter only taking place in Orochimaru's Hideout. Of course, I wanted the plot to move along a little, so I added that little bit at the end with Orochimaru and Yuuka. **

**Thank you so much for keeping up with my story you guys! Your reviews really mean a lot to me! :) **


	20. Midnight

**Hello all! **

**So, with the posting of this new chapter, I've decided to start a Reader Review thing (much like other authors do) to save time on replying to reviews.**

**I always feel really bad when I don't have enough time to reply to all of the awesome reviews you guys give me… So yeah! This idea was born! I hope it ends up working out! **

**Thanks again (a bunch) for keeping up with my story! :) **

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 19/ Recent Reviews**

**Sandtalon: **_Thank you very much! I really wanted to get Orochimaru's creepiness across; I'm glad I did! Again, I'm sorry about not updating quicker… I am ashamed… But I will try and updater sooner! That is, if I don't get writer's block again. XP Hahaha, I don't know; that sounds like a good idea to me! XD_

**TanakaInuTasha: **_Whoa, really? O.o Bizarre… Actually having one of those marks would not be fun. I'm glad you're enjoying my story though! I agree; suspense is a killer. But it's an author's best friend! _

**Kuragari Rya: **_Why, thank you! I do try! :)_

**Prescripto13: **_Thank you! I'm glad it was worded well. Fight scenes have always been kind of a hard thing for me, so I'm glad that this one turned out alright!_

**Sora Tayuya: **_Oh wait, it's not? *cocks head to the side confusedly* Darn. Better inform all of the other Kakashi fangirls. (XD) Thankies!! _

**KakashiKrazed: **_There really can never be enough Kakashi-sensei, can there? XD I'm glad you noticed that; I was trying to add in those hints of rebelliousness that the Sensei was still showing! Whew, that last part made me relieved! The whole point of that last bit was to kind of explain those things, and I'm really glad that was received! Thank you very much! _

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Why thank you! I'm really glad you did! Hope you'll be satisfied with this update! :D _

* * *

Naruto shot up from his bed with a start, covers being tossed to the foot of his mattress effortlessly. The boy sat panting at the head of the bed, clutching onto the sheets tightly and taking a moment or two to take in his surroundings. Bed, dresser, practice dummy, closet, mirror, windows, empty instant ramen cups… It was definitely his room. He sighed.

He wasn't dreaming anymore.

"_More of a nightmare than a dream…" _The blond shinobi thought dryly, staring at his sheets with a blank expression on his face. He glanced at the clock sitting on his right end table. 2:09 A.M. He certainly wasn't getting much sleep. This was the third time he'd woken up that night. He'd be a complete zombie in the morning... Well, technically it WAS morning already…

Naruto looked around the room one more time, just to reassure himself that he was fully awake and not imagining anything. His paranoia had somehow significantly grown after having that same nightmare three times in a row, and it was really taking its toll on the Genin.

His gaze fell on the picture of Squad Seven that sat firmly on the end table next to his alarm clock and his eyes softened. A lump welled up in his throat that he had to remind himself to swallow back down again. Kakashi-sensei… For the third time that night, Naruto's thoughts had wandered back to his captive teacher. He wondered if they had left at all. The nightmares he'd been having had only reminded him of how far away the man was. Moreover, they had made Naruto's worry and frustration increase tenfold.

The boy hopped out of bed with a rough grunt, suddenly feeling antsy. He started pacing around the room, hopping that the process would alleviate the strange butterfly-like sensation in his stomach. Of course it didn't, because the more he paced the more he started to think.

"_Why didn't Granny Tsunade put me on the team?!_" He thought heatedly, grinding his teeth together, "_Why couldn't she trust me with that?!" _After a moment of more livid ramblings, the blond shinobi sighed heavily and unclenched his fists. With a suddenly forlorn expression, he fell back, landing on the foot of his bed with a creak and wobble. His empty expression gazed at the wooden floor beneath him.

Naruto _hated_ not being able to do anything.

Even when he knew things were taken care of, and that there was a rescue team out looking for Kakashi, and that they were all extremely capable people (Tsunade had told him that four times that day), he just couldn't shake this feeling he had that something bad was going to happen… Something bad that he felt he should be the one to prevent. He didn't know why.

It was just his nature.

But there was really nothing he could do at this point besides just hope and pray that his sensei would come home alive. And it took the silence after Naruto's anger to make him realize that.

"Please…" He mumbled, lying back down on his bed and grinding his teeth together again, "Please, just let him come home… Let him be alright."

* * *

Sasuke threw another fierce punch at the training dummy obscuring the middle of his bedroom, causing it to rock back violently and then spring back up again. The hits continued in a fairly slow but steady rhythm, only stopping with Sasuke decided to exhale the breath he'd been holding in for who knows how long. He flexed his fingers as the dummy's tremulous form finally stilled and took to looking out the window with an icy and concentrated glare.

He'd been doing that for the past few hours.

He didn't know _why_ he was doing it. It was ridiculous; he knew that much... Why did he keep looking out the window like that? Why did he feel some deep-rooted hope and almost certainty that any moment he would see a masked face smile and wave a hand casually in his direction from outside his window?

He wasn't worried. There was a search team out looking for him. He _wasn_'_t_ worried.

Sasuke exhaled again and pried his eyes away from the window he'd been staring so intently at. Though he had tried to convince himself that he wasn't worried about his sensei, he was. There was no beating around the bush with that anymore. Usually, one of Sasuke's better qualities was his knack for being able to stay calm in bad situations. However, when those situations involved the people he cared about, he tended to lose his cool a little.

Now would be one of those times.

Usually, Sasuke would go home after a long day and take out all of his frustrations on the poor training dummy that he had long since beaten the stuffing out of. It was a way for him to keep his cool during the day. And it always worked. Stress always seemed to just melt away when Sasuke did that normal routine.

But not this time… For some reason, this time, Sasuke's stress didn't alleviate at all… It was beginning to drive him crazy.

"_Kakashi_…" He thought sourly, looking out his window again despite himself, "_Why did he have to bring YOU into this?!" _His fists clenched together, and he felt compelled to start punching his training dummy again, "_Why make you go through that kind of pain?!" _

* * *

Sakura sat up in her bed, continually staring down at her crème-colored bed sheets for what must've been the last forty-five minutes at least. Her arms were folded on top of her knees and her chin rested down on her arms in an almost fetal position.

Her eyes were clouded up with sadness and unease, the likes of which she had no idea how to deal with. She'd been up like this every hour since she went to bed, and she felt that the tight feeling she had in her stomach wouldn't go away. It almost bordered on nausea.

Sakura wished that she would stop worrying, but it was hard not to… She'd never experienced a situation like this, and didn't know what to do to make herself stop worrying…

"_Kakashi-sensei's life is at stake…" _She thought miserably, clutching onto her arms, "_And we… Can't do anything about it," _She bit her lip, "_I bet Sasuke and Naruto are upset about this too." _Of course they were… If Sakura knew anything, she knew that those two boys couldn't sit idly by while someone they cared about was in trouble.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if they were getting any sleep tonight… She knew she wasn't.

With a sigh, Sakura gazed out her bedroom window at the moon whose light filled up the dark area she was in. Most nights, a full moon was a pretty thing to look at. But for some reason, tonight, it looked very foreboding… Maybe it was just the concept of darkness and nighttime that scared her tonight, though. The thought of bleakness completely void of hope.

Sakura shuddered involuntarily and buried herself under her sheets to attempt another vain try at sleeping for the fifth time that night.

* * *

Kakashi's mind only half-processed the fact that he was being carried.

Groggily, the Jounin tried to open his eyes… Nope; no good. _Lids are still too heavy_. He needed to rest more. Why was he moving? Why was someone carrying him? He felt an unexplainable and dull anger at whoever it was, because he was not in the best of moods right now, and them moving him didn't make it any better at all.

Straining his ears as he heard mumbling and the opening of a steel door, Kakashi just barely picked up a voice that he recognized. It was a woman, he gathered.

"_Must be that one I heard the other day…_" He thought tiredly, trying to remember what Masaru and Orochimaru had called her. Whoever she was, she was strong. Even in his weakened state, Kakashi could tell that she was expending very little effort while carrying him. She was probably a shinobi like all of the others he had run into around this place. He shortly wondered if she was as strong as Kenshin and Masaru.

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted as the- what he assumed to be –steel door closed behind them and a new smell filled his already thick head. He tried scrunching up his nose and only succeeded in twitching it a little. Unlike most other ninjas, the first thing Kakashi ever noticed when he came into contact with new surroundings was smells. That way, he could commit each place he visited to his memory, just in case.

This was definitely a new smell for him.

This new room smelled stale and musty, but at the same time extremely potent. Potent of what, he couldn't exactly say. It was an odd mix of aromas that he had never encountered before, and it stung his nose… An odd sensation welled up in Kakashi's stomach.

Suddenly he was placed on a hard, cold surface. He felt a warm hand grab onto his wrist, stay there for a moment, then slide up to his hand. Kakashi reluctantly jerked a little when his wounded knuckle was grabbed onto. With a displeased grunt, the Copy Ninja's hand fell back down to the hard surface. The woman that brought him in mumbled some more about 'idiots' and 'wounds' and 'deathbed', but Kakashi's hazy mind couldn't quite pick up everything just yet.

He suddenly heard the characteristic snap of a bandage being pulled off of a roll and his eyes struggled to open all the way. He resorted to squinting. His gaze slid over to his left where the first things he noticed were a pair of piercing red eyes and a shock of orange hair.

The woman's brow furrowed, red lips taut as she set the roll of bandages down on an end table by where Kakashi was, "Well well… Can't believe you're actually up, Hatake," His name was spat.

His response was gravelly, but sarcastic, "You woke me up," He made a conscientious effort to glare at her with his glazed-over eyes.

The woman laughed without humor, "A smartass, huh?" She tore the cloth off of Kakashi's hand and tied the bandage she held around it so tight that it actually forced a grunt out of the Jounin, "You'd do well to watch your mouth."

Kakashi was mildly confused at how a wound that didn't seem major at all compared to others could hurt so badly when she tightened a bandage around it. But then again, this was an underling of Orochimaru. She was going to be stronger than the average shinobi, naturally. But those red eyes… Kakashi couldn't help but feel that there was some sort of deeper connection between her, Masaru, and Kenshin.

The woman didn't seem happy about saying this next statement, "Can you flip yourself onto your stomach?"

Needless to say, the question surprised Kakashi. He eyed her curiously, "Depends. Why?"

She looked even angrier, "Are you really that foolish?" She punched his bandaged hand with enough force to where it looked like she wasn't even trying, but still earned another grunt from the man lying on the table, "Even in a half-dead state, you should be able to figure _that _out."

His thoughts wandered to his cut back, and he realized with a start that it was seriously flaring up in pain. His fists clenched and he looked at the woman again with a scrutinizing expression. She was… Going to treat his wounds?? That didn't make any sense. His brow furrowed again.

"I suppose it would be cliché to tell you not to try anything," He said in almost a whisper as he slowly turned onto his stomach with a grunt every now and then.

She scoffed, beginning to rummage through a separate shelf and grabbing various bottles, "Please, Hatake. In your current condition, what sort of serious threat could you pose to me?"

He chuckled, a short and humorless sound, as he sat staring at the wall opposite him. Though the idea of his enemy helping him didn't sit well with the silver-haired Jounin, he was in no mood or condition to be fighting it, as the woman had so kindly pointed out. He needed to heal as soon as possible, so this may actually end up working to his advantage.

Besides, he was essentially at this woman's mercy here… There was no way he could escape, and if he tried, he knew she would apprehend him. She didn't seem like the kind of person who took rebellious behavior well anyway…

Soon, the woman came back over to Kakashi's steel table, placing various bottles and package down on the end table by the roll of bandages. Quickly and seemingly methodically, she tore off a huge chunk of cloth from the man's shirt back. He tensed, startled by the sudden action, but didn't say anything. The part of his shirt that she'd ripped off was already damp with blood anyway. Truthfully it was a relief to not have as much stickiness obscuring his back.

"Keh," The woman scoffed again, tearing off a sheet of a wet towel of some sort and rubbing it carefully along the long cut on Kakashi's back. It must have had some sort of medicinal or alchohalic properties to it though, because it burned like hell when she applied it, "Masaru; that fool… He didn't even consider the blood loss that he would put you through. Just look at this mess. What would he have done if you'd gone and died?" Her rant ended with a quieter but more intense, "Lord Orochimaru would've been most displeased."

Kakashi's brow furrowed again as he gritted his teeth to keep from hissing out loud at the strong stinging sensation he was feeling. Suddenly surprised, he realized that his mask was back on.

Now this confused him… He knew he had torn down his mask after his brawl with Masaru earlier to cough up some of the blood that had been choking him, but he never recalled putting it back on. Did she do that? He tried to glance up at the woman again, but the position he was in made that neck movement way too awkward.

She had stopped rubbing his wound with that burning towel and now began to clean off the rest of the stray blood on his back. The Copy Ninja remained baffled by this. At first he was livid that she had seen his face; a privilege he gave to none of his living enemies. Then he was confused by her actually moving the mask back into place. Usually people that you knew were trying to kill you weren't that honorable. With another start, Kakashi's mind thought of something else; the most plausible reason he could think of.

A grim smirk crept onto his face as he came to the realization that the woman didn't move his mask out of some deep-seeded noble feeling. He was somehow slightly satisfied with the fact that she _had _to move the material.

"You moved my mask back up; how noble of you," He said hoarsely with barely hidden sarcasm, noticing the motion of her hands stop abruptly, "Quite becoming of an underling, don't you think? Or… Was it just too much for you to handle?"

With an incredibly frustrated and slightly embarrassed sound, the woman pressed down on Kakashi's wound so hard that he gasped in pain. She shortly continued her work- albeit more roughly-and he could practically feel the waves of heat coming off of her.

"I told you to keep your damn mouth shut," She hissed venomously between clenched teeth.

Kakashi's smirk didn't disappear despite the pain he was now in. It was _so_ worth it, "_I don't like you, and you don't like me_," He thought, "_And I'm not going to make this easy for you." _

It was the least he could do, since every pessimistic notion in his head told him that he would have to fight even harder from now on. Now until…

Whenever, or if ever, he was to be freed from this hellhole.

**Author's Note:**

**Yes indeedy! Kakashi-sensei's amazing good looks are just TOO much to handle! Even for the evil chicks! XD **

**And I am SO SORRY you guys! It's been waaaaay too long since I updated last, and I sincerely apologize for that! Once again, I had the most awful writer's block!! **

**I couldn't think of what to do with Sakura there in the beginning for the life of me, so I'm sorry if it came across as less than graceful. (Quite frankly, I don't like writing for her much… She's not one of my favorite characters. XP) **

**But I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! It wasn't very action-packed, but more action and plot will be coming! And why is Yuuka treating Kakashi's wounds?? *mysterious* ;) Also, this was longer than my chapters are usually, so I hope you're all happy with that!**

**R&R! Thank you all so much for being so patient with me! :D Take care! **


	21. Intention

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 20/Recent Reviews**

**Prescripto13: **_Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! :) _

**Sora Tayuya: **_Thank you! I'm glad someone else enjoyed Kakashi-sensei's smexy-ness! XP Thank you again! Sakura really IS hard for me; I'm glad it came across okay! I know, right?? T.T It makes me sad too! Stupid Sasuke had to go and become even MORE angsty… _

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Thank you! :D _

**Sandtalon: **_Thanks! Hahaha, a crush? That'd be interesting, actually! XD My initial thoughts were that she IS in fact a woman and Kakashi-sensei IS in fact a very hot guy. XP It's more of the second one. Good call on your part! You know, when I read your review, I realized that the statement you made was a good point, and I really haven't addressed the sensei's worries yet… But don't worry! In this chapter I shall! I'm glad someone else understands! Don't worry! Knocking her out is an excellent way to do things, as far as I know! XD Hope you enjoy this chappie!_

**Kakashifan9: **_Thank you so much! I'm really happy you enjoyed their perspectives! I had fun writing for them! (Except Sakura; she's hard for me XP) I always thought that Sasuke would need something to beat on to keep his cool all the time. A training dummy seemed appropriate! I can understand your dislike for OCs. I have some of that too! However, sadly, some OCs were needed here… I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks again! _

**KakashiKrazed: **_Thanks! If you of all people liked it, I'm satisfied! XD Thank you; I'm really glad that his interpretations of the room were clear. Hahaha, I'm glad you liked that little bit about Kakashi's face! XP I had to add it in somewhere! As always, I greatly appreciate your input! _

**MemoriesOfNobody: **_Thank you very much! I'm honored by your comment! :) I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!! _

* * *

"Gai, it's time," Asuma came up from behind his Jounin partner as a glint of sun just barely poked around the horizon, a freshly lit cigarette smoking leisurely from his mouth.

Gai stood up immediately from the tree branch he had been previously sleeping on and nodded seriously to Asuma, "Right," As he made to walk back to the huddle of trees that the ANBU members had met up at the previous night, he glanced at his fellow shinobi in mild concern.

"… Did you not sleep well, Asuma?" Gai briefly noted the light bags under his friend's eyes.

"Oh…" Asuma rubbed the back of his head ashamedly. He mumbled on nervously, "Yeah, 'fraid my mind was just racing last night… I kept on waking up," He laughed dryly, "Haven't been on a mission like _this_ for a while."

Gai smirked empathetically and clapped the man on the back, "I know how you feel, my friend," His smirk fell into a serious frown, "It's been a long time since I've had a mission with stakes this high as well."

Asuma's expression hardened with Gai's, "There's definitely a lot to think about…" He said quietly.

Gai nodded, "Yeah…"

They came upon the tree cluster shortly, the other members of all the squads gathering up into their respective groups. Raven stepped into the center of the small crowd momentarily:

"We move out immediately," He announced firmly, addressing the obvious, "Until we pick up more of a scent, we will all stay with our given positions. Report anything and everything suspicious. Battles will be fought using the usual protocol."

Hiroto shot an anxious look over to his fellow Jounin, clearly oblivious to what the 'usual protocol' was for ANBU battles. Genma smirked around a senbon that he probably shouldn't have had in his mouth, but did anyway. It was quite apparent that the ex-Sound Ninja really was an outsider here. The Leaf Jounin gestured to Gai with a lift of his head, and the man nodded in response. He would explain to Hiroto later.

"Move out," Raven ended commandingly, causing everyone to simultaneously jump out in several different directions and start their trek north, to where there would hopefully be a silver-haired Jounin waiting for them.

"Um, Gai…" Hiroto started nervously as he, Gai, Raven, and Fang all headed in their given north position, going at a noticeably faster pace than the day before. Gai raised an eyebrow to the man at his right, "What exactly is the… Usual protocol for battles?" He asked, in an embarrassed and quiet voice.

Gai chuckled softly, "Thought you'd ask that… Though I don't have much experience with the ANBU myself, I do know what protocol they're talking about," He looked back ahead of himself, "If we were to encounter an enemy while trying to find our target, then we're either supposed to fight and get rid of them quickly and efficiently, or- if it's an unnecessary fight –try and evade them… Or something like that," He rubbed his head a little, "Personally, I think it's too much on the complicated side."

"So, what should I--" Hiroto began confusedly.

"Basically, the ANBU are all about efficiency and getting things done quickly and without mistakes. When they encounter an enemy, they make sure that nothing is left of them after the battle is over…" He glanced back over at Hiroto shortly, "That's all you really have to know."

The man nodded seriously, "I understand…"

"And with this mission especially," Gai's voice lowered a little in volume, "If we aren't careful and efficient here, it may easily result in a fatality; maybe even several."

"You don't… Mean Kakas--?"

"It could be any of us," Raven interrupted suddenly and harshly; there was a certain protectiveness in his voice, "Though Kakashi is the one most at risk in the situation, any of us may be killed if we don't act quickly or competently enough. A great part of it is mind over matter. You can't jump to conclusions…" His gaze was cold even though he had a mask on as he shortly glanced over his shoulder at Hiroto, "About anything."

Hiroto nodded slowly, "Yes, sir."

Gai laughed to himself without humor. Raven wasn't too happy about the Sound Ninja suggesting Kakashi's death. But then again, he couldn't blame the man. Anyone who knew Kakashi knew how strong he was, how unpredictable he could be, and even that he had been imprisoned and left hovering on the brink of life and death more times than one could count on their fingers and toes.

It seemed impossible for someone like him to actually die.

With a start, Gai realized that maybe that was the underlying why all of these people were sent out to get him: to keep him from losing his invincibility.

Besides, despite what he often said and probably thought, Kakashi had many people who would be absolutely distraught over his death. It was probably quite ironic, then, that he was a self-sacrificing type of person… Gai shook his head to try and clear his mind. He needed to stop thinking about the outcome of this mission and just focus on the mission itself.

Though, he had to admit, he was getting rather antsy… The mission hadn't even taken that long so far. He had been on missions before where they searched for someone for days on end and never found them. Granted, he didn't like to remember those ones, but this mission… Felt like one of those. One of those that he wanted to be completed and over with as soon as possible.

He wanted to be able to challenge Kakashi to another youthful duel again… Because they still had to settle the score. They couldn't do that if he was gone.

* * *

"… Hey, I have a question for you guys…" Genma started as he, Fox, Phoenix, and Owl all headed in their appointed eastbound direction.

"Shoot," Phoenix said casually from beside him.

"Does anyone else… Not trust this Hiroto Isamu character?" Genma's brow furrowed.

At this, Phoenix turned and Fox's head rose up, "How do you mean?" Fox asked.

Genma bit down a little harder on his senbon, "I'm not quite sure myself, which is the ironic part… It just seems like him being from the Sound Village is a little too convenient. I mean, think about the situation. One of our top Jounin who happens to have a Curse Mark is abducted by someone working for Orochimaru while on a mission to escort a 'runaway' from the Sound. I dunno… It seems strange to me."

"While I agree with your logic, Genma…" Fox started, "It's not our place to put suspicions on people we barely know. I realize that tensions are high right now. That coupled with the fact that this man joined an S-Rank mission with a group of people he's never seen before makes him prone to suspicion," He glanced back at Genma shortly, "We need to just keep our heads and focus on the task at hand."

"Well said," Phoenix chuckled, turning to face Genma again, "But really, he's got a good point. I understand that you think that Isamu guy is an odd duck; to be honest, I do too. But our top priority is Kakashi right now. If the new guy turns out to be a problem, then we get rid of him," He shrugged, "That's just the way things work around here."

"Right... Gotcha," Genma nodded, stifling a sigh. They were right, he needed to focus. The only problem was that when he was suspicious of something or some_one_, he wanted to figure out if he was correct or not right away… It put him at ease. Needless to say, he wasn't quite at ease at the moment.

It was easy for the ANBU to tell him how things went: 'don't worry about it. If he's a problem, we'll kill him.' Still, he wasn't used to the ANBU way of things. Not that he was totally opposed to change, but this was a special case for him. Kakashi was one of his fellow Jounin, and he had been captured, possibly been tortured, or worse. Having this Hiroto guy just pop out of nowhere and join them on a mission of this importance wasn't comforting to him in the slightest. He didn't like it…

"Compose yourself, Genma," Owl's quiet but thunder rumble of a voice sounded behind the man. Genma turned around in mild surprise. He didn't know he was giving himself away that badly, "This is unnecessary stress."

Genma opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it. A smile stretched across his face as he turned back around. Owl was one of the simplest people he'd ever met. And yet… He was thorough at the same time.

"Thanks; I'll try," He offered.

Phoenix smiled underneath his mask, "_Owl's always had quite a way with words… Not to mention reading people like books, "_He glanced over at Genma for a moment, "_I'm not too worried about that odd duck Isamu. If there was something wrong, Owl would've told me a long time ago."_

* * *

"_Sensei! Help us!!" _

_Naruto jerked violently as two large snakes wound tightly around his body, slowly squeezing the life out of him. Despite all of his thrashing, the snakes didn't move an inch. Sasuke and Sakura were beside him, also being completely surrounded by the large brown snakes with blood red eyes. _

"_Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke!" Kakashi called out desperately, trying frantically to pull at the iron binds that held down his arms and legs. He pulled and struggled until he was sure that his wrists and ankles were bleeding, but the binds never gave. He started cursing madly when another snake appeared before him. _

_This one was by far the scariest of all of them all with its pasty white skin and sickly piercing yellow eyes that bored right into Kakashi's skull. It slithered up until it was mere inches away from the Jounin's face. He pulled back immediately, trying to strain his face away from the gaze of this hideous thing._

"_Frustrating, isn't it Kakashi?" The snake hissed in a voice that sent shivers down the man's spine, "To not be able to help them when they need it." _

_Kakashi's face scrunched into a scowl, "What the hell are you doing?" He said fiercely, "I'm the one you want, right? Let the kids go!" _

_The snake chuckled darkly, "I'd love to, Kakashi… Sadly, I'm afraid I'm just a tad too late," A sickening smile appeared on the creature's face. _

_Kakashi's attention was immediately drawn to his students. He gasped and his eyes widened as he watched the three of them get buried under the mass of snakes, the air nearly forced out of all of them. _

_They were… Dying. _

"_No!!" He yelled urgently, straining once again to break free of the binds and save the students whom he'd come to love as a family. The white snake laughed manically as Kakashi fought in vain. _

"_Sensei…" Sakura weak voice floated across the area as she stared at him with a tear-streaked and lifeless face. The snakes had almost completely overtaken her, "Why…? Why couldn't you… Save us?" _

"_Sakura…" Kakashi muttered, at a complete loss for words. What she had said hit him like a thousand pound anvil, "I-I--"_

"_Kakashi… You're supposed to… Be strong," Sasuke said, glaring at Kakashi in hatred. _

"_Sasuke- I can't- please-!" Kakashi sputtered, almost completely breaking down. He pulled on the binds harder until he could feel warm sticky warm coursing down his hands and feet. _

"_Sensei… I thought… I thought you…" Naruto's eyes were by far the worst to stare into. The sheer hurt and look of betrayal in those usually vibrant blue eyes was enough to make Kakashi's heart snap in half, "… Cared about us."_

_Kakashi felt like all of the breath in his body had left him. He wanted so badly to tell Naruto that it was alright; tell him that he cared about them more than his own life. And he did, he did! 'Everyone, don't leave. Please! Hang on!' Thoughts ran wild in his head, and before he had time to even blink, his three students were…_

_Gone. _

"_NO!!!" _

"?!" Kakashi woke up with a sharp gasp that made his already sore ribs hurt even more, causing him to go into a rough coughing fit that lasted for a good thirty seconds before it died.

He sat on his back on the cold floor of what could only be his cell, breathing heavy ragged breaths and reaching a shaky hand up to his head to wipe the sudden sweat off of his brow. After he had remembered how to breathe normally, Kakashi felt a throbbing pain erupt in his chest, causing him to groan loudly in a very undignified way and arch his back. This was like the pain he had felt when he woke up on the floor of his cell before, except intensified to an umpteenth degree.

When the horrible almost electrical pain died down to a numb rumble, Kakashi's thoughts rolled back to the awful nightmare he'd just woken up from. His eyes narrowed not with anger, but concern. He had thought about his students every day (had it been days?) he had been in this hellish place, but this… This dream was something else entirely.

He hoped they were alright… Kakashi thought back to when the group had encountered Kenshin in the clearing and instantly, his mind replayed the scenes where Sasuke and Naruto were both cut down like paper. Sakura's attempts to help, his own desperation… He closed his eyes momentarily, worry for them currently outweighing his own pain. Those were serious injuries.

He only hoped they had been able to be healed before it was too late…

Kakashi swallowed down an uncomfortable lump in his throat. He didn't like thinking about things like that, though he knew that he had to accept the possibility of them happening… "_Lord knows I hope they made it out alive…" _

He was jarred from his thoughts as another burst of pain came forth, causing him to- this time –jerk into a sideways fetal position. He tried to suppress the cries of pain he knew were coming, but it was getting rather hard to do so. What the hell had happened to make him like this?

He tried to think back to when he was last conscious after the pain had once again dulled down to a numb thick feeling. His memory was a little cloudy… He thought it might be the pain dulling his senses, but some other feeling told him that wasn't it.

"_That's right… That woman…_" He remembered to when that orange-haired woman treated his wounds and curiously flexed the fingers on his previously injured hand. Yup; still bandaged tight… His back must've still been good too.

Kakashi grunted as he sat up slowly, first hoisting himself up to his elbows then to his backside. He let go of a deep breath he wasn't aware that he'd been holding and glanced around the cell that was becoming very familiar. He never liked staying in cells much, because after a while they all blurred into one image… He wished that at least one time his captors would be more into interior designing.

The pain suddenly came again, this time spread out around his arms as well as his chest. Instead of crying out in pain, the Jounin simply cursed like a sailor; it seemed to be a slightly more dignified alternative. He wondered once again what the hell they had done to him to make him feel this odd electrical-like pain.

"_Probably the same thing they did to me the other time… When I tried to use chakra…_" He glanced down at his hands and remembered when he had gotten that horrible pain from just trying to focus chakra to his hands, "_Now that I think about it, this pain is similar to those other ones… Only a lot more agonizing,_" He added sourly.

After a moment of debate with himself, the Copy Ninja decided that he would try and get up to his feet, even though he had a sinking feeling it would hurt like hell. With a low grunt, he transferred his weight to his feet and slowly ascended, holding his arms out to maintain a sense of balance. He let out another shaky breath after he had safely gotten up to his feet, appraising his surroundings one more time for good measure. Another jolt of pain racked his body, this time going to his legs as well as his arms and chest.

He staggered back with a loud grunt mixed with a few choice curses, only barely catching himself before he fell to his back again. He sighed, stretching out his legs as best as he could without completely losing his balance. This was getting to be ridiculous… But at least he could stand; and walk around, as far as he knew.

"You truly amaze me, Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi froze as he heard the hiss-like voice that always sent a shudder down his spine. His eyes trailed up to the iron bars in front of him and locked with the almost gleaming yellow ones that looked deviously back at him. He narrowed his eyes as he saw an appalling emotion play across the snake's face. He was being stared at like he was a prized racehorse… It made him sick.

"Oh yeah?" He replied croakily, mildly surprised that his voice was so rough. Had he not used it in a while? He couldn't remember…

"Not only were you able to endure the first treatment and still be able to survive a fight with Masaru, you are actually able to _stand _after receiving the second," Orochimaru laughed gleefully, in a way that still made the hair on Kakashi's neck stand up, "Simply amazing! The others were unconscious after the tests for many hours, and it only took you two to wake back up," A smile made its way across the snake's face, his fangs glistening in the dim torchlight.

"_Others? Two hours? Huh… So there were other people that went through this hell? And now I'm exceeding his standards; wonderful…"_

Kakashi sneered, "Heh. I don't know if I should thank you or spit on you again."

An angry glint shortly shone in Orochimaru's eyes for a moment before they went back to their sickly calm state. His smile hadn't disappeared, "I see you're still being a resistant little boy…"

_Damn straight._

"But, resisting or not, I've decided to be nice and teach my new star pupil something…" Kakashi definitely wanted to spit on him now, but didn't get much of a chance when he saw the iron gate being open and the Sannin stepping inside of his cell.

This… Made him uncomfortable. He took an instinctive step backwards, his shoulders tensing and fingers curling up into fists. Whatever the snake bastard wanted to 'teach' him, it wasn't going to be good…

Orochimaru chuckled at Kakashi's reaction shortly before locking eyes with him again, "Kakashi… What say I teach you," His eyes glinted with excitement, "How to use this new power you have?"

Kakashi looked shocked, and a bit confused. Power? What power? All he felt was pain. And Orochimaru wanted to _teach_ him?? "What the hell do you mean?" He spat, refusing to show any signs of weakness to this man.

"My boy, I'm just trying to welcome you," He held out his arms as if wanting Kakashi to come in for a hug, "Into the Masashi Order."

"What?" Kakashi's throat ran dry. His mind flashed back to when Kenshin and Masaru introduced themselves, "The… Musashi Order?"

"Yes," The snake hissed with pleasure, looking at Kakashi like he was a priceless artifact, "And once I'm done teaching you…" He licked his lips, "You will lead them. You will be… Invincible."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey everyone! So sorry for being horrible about updating! I was actually looking forward to posting this on Christmas Eve so that I would be in time for the holidays, but… *sigh* Things got in the way, and time flew by as it normally does… So! Again! I'm sorry about not giving this chapter to you sooner!**

**In other news, I think it's the longest one so far… ONE of the longest if not the longest. I'm pretty proud of that, but you know! XP **

**In other OTHER news! There is some action coming up, don't you folks fret! I'm really excited for the upcoming chapters, because fight scenes and just all-around hectic scenes are a little hard for me. But I shall try!! *determined* **

**I hope you all enjoy! Thank you so much for being so supportive of me! :]**


	22. Slowly Slipping Away

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 21/Recent Reviews**

**Sora Tayuya: **_Random? I'm sorry! But… There wasn't enough Kakashi? I'm glad you liked it nonetheless._

**KakashiKrazed: **_I'm really glad you noticed the concern among Gai, Asuma, and Genma. Thanks! I wanted someone to voice unease about Hiroto, because I felt like readers might think he's suspicious too. Hehehe, I'm glad it sent the shivers down your spine! That's always a good reaction for a creepy nightmare. I'm happy to hear you say so! Orochimaru is hard for me to do a lot of and keep him in solid character. (Which is why this chapter was a little tough for me) I'm glad his creepiness got across! Thank you very much! Your input is always appreciated! _

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* * *

Kakashi stood there dumbfounded. Pieces of this puzzle were starting to click together for him, and he found that it made him absolutely sick. What Orochimaru had just said made his fists curl up in rage. Being used was something that the Copy Ninja would _never _be alright with.

"I don't know what sick notion made you think that I'd go along with this," His voice shook with fury, "But I'll be damned if I become one of your cronies!"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly, "My boy…" Kakashi was truly beginning to hate that term, "That's such a vulgar way to put this. Besides, I knew that you wouldn't just go along with it at first," His eyes gleamed, "I'm offering to teach you about something that will make you absolutely invincible… I would think that you of all people, Copy Ninja, would be open to that."

"You think wrong," Kakashi spat.

Orochimaru laughed, "Obviously," He took a step closer to Kakashi, making the man step back in reflex, "But I'm quite excited about this, so I'm afraid you've lost your say."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed more. He tried to take in deeper breaths to calm his heart that had suddenly started beating much faster than usual. Truthfully, he knew that what he said wouldn't matter to the snake bastard. What concerned him the most was how he planned to teach an unwilling student.

Suddenly, Orochimaru seemed to disappear. Kakashi's eyes barely got time to widen before he felt a presence at his side and threw his left arm up just in time to block a punch the Sannin threw. Orochimaru seemed thrilled.

"Reflexes are still good; very impressive," He disappeared again as soon as the words came out of his mouth, and Kakashi only had time to prepare himself for another attack as Orochimaru landed a hard blow to his stomach.

"Ugh!" Kakashi's cry was somewhat muffled by the mixture of saliva and blood that flooded to his mouth as the punch was landed. He flew back to the wall, crushing the stones behind him with a loud almost crunching sound.

The Jounin kept his feet, clinging onto the wall with shaky hands and breathing rapidly and brokenly. He blinked once to clear his eyes of red dots and glared spitefully at his enemy who looked like he was having the time of his life.

"Endurance still surprisingly good," Orochimaru cooed, "You're still on your feet."

Kakashi honestly didn't know how for the life of him. He was sure that he felt a few ribs crack when the blow was landed, and it sent searing pain throughout his entire body… Maybe it was just his pure hatred for this man before him that kept him standing.

"Very impressive, Kakashi," Orochimaru repeated, "You should be able to start controlling your Potentia right away…"

Kakashi allowed a look of confusion to glint in his eyes for only a moment before he worked out the details in his head, "Potentia…"He muttered, "You mean this new 'power' of mine?"

"Very perceptive," Orochimaru's smile widened, "Yes. This power that I will teach you to use is a true marvel."

"_I suppose it's the same technique that Kenshin used in our fight…" _Kakashi deduced, "It's some sort of chakra substitution?"

"I suppose you could call it that," Orochimaru shrugged, "But just thinking of it as a substitute for chakra is very ignorant. Potentia is bounds above chakra. Its sheer power is about tenfold chakra's at its most powerful state, and it makes the user virtually untouchable."

Kakashi's gaze narrowed again, "… How many people are able to use this ability?" He asked hoarsely.

Orochimaru laughed for a little before answering the Jounin's question, "Always like to get down to the facts, don't you Kakashi? I suppose you're only worrying about the safety of your precious village… Anyway, what fun would it be to just tell you? You've already met all of them."

That caught Kakashi's attention. Gears whirred around in his head for a moment before he remembered three pairs of identical red eyes, "Kenshin, Masaru… And… That woman…"

Orochimaru's smile didn't fade, "Excellent. Perceptive indeed... There are three in the Musashi Order, and soon there will be four."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at that sentiment, his thoughts being brought back to the present. Well, at least this answered a few questions for him. He wondered why Kenshin and Masaru seemed so much stronger than normal shinobi… And he hadn't fought that woman yet, (He was sure he heard her name before; Yuuka?) but he was sure that she would be strong as well. Orochimaru didn't pick just anyone to put through his freakish experiments. They had to be already powerful.

"Yuuka also mentioned that you were awake for a better part of her treatments…" Orochimaru hissed, "After a fight with Masaru," He made a clicking noise with his tongue, "You continue to exceed my expectations, Kakashi."

"So you feel the need to reward me by breaking bones?" The Copy Ninja said sneeringly as he let go of the wall and stood upright.

"All part of the learning experience, my boy," The Sannin continued, "Knowing how to control your Potentia comes from pain and anger. At least," He chuckled, "It's the most effective way. The body automatically gives you a boost of adrenaline when you're in extreme situations, and Potentia unleashes that adrenaline."

Kakashi tried to process a never-ending adrenaline rush in his head, and it seemed too good to be true. Or rather, it was such a horrifying concept that he really didn't _want _it to be true.

"And like chakra, Potentia aligns with the element that the user corresponds to. In your case, Kakashi, it would be element_s_. But the power of those elements is also increased exponentially, to the point where you don't have to do hand signs to initiate jutsu. Instead, the element simply exists _in _you, and comes out while you fight."

Kakashi looked confused for a moment. So it's uncontrolled? Not having to do hand signs certainly saves time, but what did he mean by it 'exists in you'? Orochimaru must have seen the confusion in Kakashi's eyes, because he went on to explain.

"I'm sure you remember your fight with Masaru…" His smile widened, like it was a laughable matter, "Did you not notice how unnaturally fast he was?" A look of realization came across Kakashi's face. Orochimaru nodded slowly, "Yes… His element is wind. With the power of Potentia, Masaru is able to utilize his abilities to the point where he is almost as quick as the wind itself."

Kakashi's eyes widened a little as he took in the Sannin's words. This truly was a horrifying power if the user became one with their element. A bad taste formed in the back of his throat as Kakashi thought about his two elements: fire and lightning. That must have looked very appetizing to Orochimaru… If the Copy Ninja became one with his two elements, he would have quite a considerable amount of power.

Power to be used against his allies… His village.

"I see…" He muttered roughly, "So you're turning me into one of your experimental henchmen so that you can utilize my elements, is that it?"

"My dear boy," The Sannin shook his head as if he were lecturing a child, "It's not everyday that you run into someone with as many elemental powers as you."

Kakashi froze. He locked eyes with his adversary coldly, misunderstanding and a dark fear welling up inside his chest, "… What did you say?"

"You seem confused, Kakashi," Orochimaru laughed, "Oh, I see… I suppose you think you only have two elements. Most shinobi, even the most experienced ones, do," Kakashi started to sweat. Most? What did he mean most?? "And with chakra, that's the most they can have…" His eyes gleamed with excitement, "But Potentia is different. You, Kakashi Hatake, hold over one thousand jutsu in that left eye of yours. With Potentia, every element of every jutsu that you know becomes part of you."

"What?" Kakashi responded dryly. In his mind, he tried going over all of the jutsu he knew, and his feeling of dread amplified as the number grew past the hundreds and into the thousands… Earth, fire, wind, water, lightning… He knew techniques from every element he could possibly learn! Knowing that all of those elements could become part of the very fiber of his being was… Terrifying.

"Bastard," He hissed suddenly, "What the hell makes you think I'll go along with any of this?!"

"We've been over this, Kakashi," Orochimaru almost sounded tired, "You don't have a say. You're going to be the one to lead the Musashi Order; my strongest fighter and star pupil," He looked like he was talking about a lovely dream.

"I'd rather die first," Kakashi stated slowly, making sure that the snake bastard knew he was serious.

Orochimaru grinned darkly, "You really are from Konoha, aren't you?" In an instant he was gone like before, reappearing a second later and grabbing Kakashi by his neck, shoving him back to the wall.

The Jounin coughed raggedly as his head slammed into the stone that he had just splintered. He gripped Orochimaru's hand with both of his, digging his nails into the other man's skin and trying to remember how to breathe normally. Orochimaru's eyes were dark he brought his face two inches away from Kakashi's.

"You're always the first one to sacrifice yourself when your allies are in a sticky situation," His voice was almost mocking, "and you get furious when anyone as much as touches your squad, you preach about not showing weakness and showing respect, and yet you clearly let your anger get the better of you during your fight with Kenshin and you _spit_ at my feet," His grip tightened shortly, "Definitely one of the Leaf Village's most _prized _dogs."

"Shut up," Kakashi wheezed, glaring at the man viciously. His blood was boiling in his veins, despite what was said about letting his anger get the best of him, and he wanted nothing more than to crush Orochimaru and end all of the suffering that he'd caused for the people of the Leaf Village who were still rebuilding their lives after his attack.

For some reason, this anger he felt couldn't be contained. He could hear a voice in his head telling him to calm down and not let the Sannin get to him, but his rage just kept escalating. And strangely enough, he… Couldn't feel his wounds. He couldn't feel much of anything besides the sheer ferocity that had suddenly leapt up inside of him.

"You have such prestige in that village of yours; all over the world, really. And yet," He laughed coldly, "If they need someone to sacrifice for their own good, you will be the first to go!"

"I said… Shut up!" Kakashi growled again, not being able to stand the way his village was being talked about. He felt a strange heat rising inside of him.

"Of course, that's just the way they are," Orochimaru continued, seemingly oblivious of Kakashi's escalating rage, "They don't really care about their people; even the important ones. The minute the high-and-mighty ninja of the Leaf Village screw up a mission, everyone turns their backs on them and regards them with utter hatred," He turned around, taking Kakashi with him, and threw him on the ground.

Kakashi grunted loudly as he made contact with the cold floor, feeling sticky warmness envelop the side of his face. He hoisted himself up to his knees with tremulous arms and legs and went through another short coughing fit before glaring up icily at the man smiling manically at him. The heat he had felt before had risen to even higher levels, threatening to make him explode.

"It's happened before. The greatest ninja are lowered to the levels of scum," Orochimaru's eyes took on a nasty gleam, "Just like your father…"

Something in Kakashi's mind snapped.

Injuries forgotten, Kakashi jumped up with ridiculous speed and reared back to throw a punch that was so fast Orochimaru barely had time to leap out of the way. The Jounin let loose an almost feral cry as he dealt the blow, missing his target by only a hair and slamming his fist into the wall.

_BOOM!_

The sound of an explosion ricocheted off the walls of the cell as the wall that Kakashi had punched burst into chunks of cracked rock and went crashing onto the floor. A wave of sunlight and fresh air entered the previously dark room, and Kakashi had to blink several times as he staggered back to avoid being hit.

The Copy Ninja fell to his knees, distantly hearing the sound of Orochimaru's crazed laugh. He clutched his chest with one shaking hand as he tried to breathe again. The air somehow felt thick, even though it was now fresher than it had been for a while. His eyes blurred in and out of focus, and thoughts ran wild in his head.

"_What… What have I… What happened to… I was just like… An animal,_" He thought in distress. The heat that he'd felt earlier had immediately died, and now he was almost cold. At least, he thought so judging from the way his whole body was shivering.

Orochimaru spoke between his joyous laughs and put one hand to an odd dark spot on his cheek, "You actually burned me! Fantastic, just fantastic!"

Kakashi gazed in horror as he spotted receding black markings on his hands. He groaned in agony despite himself as he took in what Orochimaru had said. He had actually _burned _ the man without even _touching_ him. That and he just made almost an entire wall come crashing down with just one punch! That heat he felt inside of him… It was actual heat. Earth and fire. And now the Curse Mark had something to do with it as well.

Orochimaru had meant it when he said that what Kakashi said didn't matter anymore. He was changing into one of _them_, and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

He suddenly fell to his face, gasping to try and take in air that he no longer had. With a dull thought, he realized that he had just broken down a wall and opened up a potential escape for himself, and yet he couldn't get away. He couldn't even move, much less escape.

Kakashi thought of the irony as he felt his mind leaving him. All of those years learning every jutsu he could and spreading his name as the Copy Ninja, the very thing he was famous for; his Sharingan…

… Was going to be his downfall.

* * *

Panther's head perked up, "Do you hear that?"

Asuma, Badger, and Talon all looked up in mild surprise as they heard a faint sound coming from far ahead of them. A group of frenzied birds flew off in random directions, and Asuma's brow lowered.

"An explosion?" He said.

"Sure sounded like one," Talon mused.

"Should we go check it out?" Badger asked warily.

Panther nodded, "We're to investigate anything suspicious, remember? An explosion certainly counts as suspicious in my eyes."

There was a unison head nod amongst the group before Panther tapped her radio to a different frequency, "Raven, can you hear me? It's Panther."

"_Just fine. Have you something to report?" _

"We heard an explosion. It sounds like it's about ten kilometers out."

"_How long ago?"_

"Just now."

"_Very well. Proceed to investigate the source immediately. I'll pass the message on to the eastbound team. Report back whatever you find."_

"Roger that. Panther out," Her hand fell away from the radio and she shortly turned around to face the rest of her team, "Alright you guys, it'll take us a little while to reach the source of the explosion, so we're going to have to pick up the pace here. Be on your toes. We don't know what to expect."

There was another group head nod before the four of them sped up, heading for the designated area. Asuma bit down on his cigarette uncomfortably. There was something about this that didn't feel right to him… And though he hoped that Kakashi was there at the source of the explosion, he didn't at the same time.

* * *

"He's coming along marvelously…" Orochimaru said contentedly, sitting down on a stone throne-type chair and resting his head on his hand.

Kabuto looked at him with smirk, "Quite so. If here's already able to burn _you, _Lord Orochimaru, then he may very well be up and running in just a few days."

"Very true," Orochimaru agreed with a smile, "Though a large part of the success of today was the Curse Mark. It certainly boosted the affect his new Potentia is having on him."

Kabuto went through a crème colored file he held in his hands and pulled out one of the sheets of paper it held. His eyes scanned the page for a moment before his gaze went back up to his superior, "If we have no interference and administer the third and final dosage tomorrow, his chakra system will be emptied and the Potentia will permanently take its place."

"Wonderful," Orochimaru sat up, clenching his fist together as if in victory.

"Lord Orochimaru," A low female voice was heard from behind Kabuto. He sidestepped, allowing the image of a young woman and an older sturdier-looking man to fill his space. The two bowed respectfully and then straightened up as Orochimaru addressed them.

"Yuuka and Kenshin," Orochimaru said pleasantly, "Here to give a report, I assume?"

The two nodded and Kenshin stepped forward. With his helmet off, short scruffy black hair almost covered his eyebrows. Red eyes met with Orochimaru's yellow, "All of the items in storage have been moved, milord. Masaru is leading a team of your followers to the new location as we speak."

"Excellent."

"A group of my associates from the science department are transferring the medicinal and Potentia materials too… As well as _him_," Yuuka stated, "I hope that Masaru doesn't mess this up," She added sourly.

"Again with the worries about Masaru, my dear?" Orochimaru asked. Yuuka ducked her head almost ashamedly.

"He won't screw up," Kabuto added, tapping his glasses back to the bridge of his nose and glancing at Yuuka and Kenshin with an almost eerie stare, "He knows what will happen if he misplaces anything."

There was a silent affirmation of that as both Yuuka and Kenshin stiffened a little. It wasn't a secret that Orochimaru wasn't merciful when it came to screwing up on important tasks. When you screwed up, Kabuto got to 'deal with you', and everyone he dealt with either came back as a twitching bloody mass or didn't come back at all.

"Now then," Orochimaru said, rising from his seat and glancing shortly around the no empty room, "If everything is taken into account, we can head out immediately as well. The explosion Kakashi made was quite loud, so the Konoha dogs may already be on their way."

"Yes, sir," Yuuka and Kenshin both responded, bowing and proceeding to leave the room.

"Kabuto…"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"

"How long until Kakashi is ready for the jutsu?"

Kabuto glanced back down at the piece of paper he was holding briefly, "After the Potentia is permanently in place…" He looked back up at Orochimaru, "One week."

Orochimaru's smile stretched to the edges of his face as he began to walk out of the room, "The power of all the elements along with one of my most dominant Curse Marks… If I can already make him feel enough rage to spur on two of the elements in one day…" His eyes glistened with an almost hungry look, "Just think what I'll be able to do when I have full control."

"Are you planning to go through with it with Kakashi instead of Sasuke?" Kabuto asked as the two of them entered a long hallway.

"Soon I'll have full control of Kakashi's actions. When that happens, he will definitely become a very powerful asset…"

"But your body doesn't--" Kabuto began in concern.

"Are you arguing with me, Kabuto?"

"… No, sir…"

"I know that I haven't a particularly long time for this body, but I'm going to be patient," He smiled again, "I have great hopes for Sasuke. If it ends up not working out for some reason, I also have great hopes for his teacher. Either way, Kakashi will be staying with us. I won't let my greatest achievement get away."

* * *

"Wait!" Panther held out her arm quickly to stop the team behind her.

Everyone skidded to a halt behind her and looked up curiously, "What is it Panther?" Badger asked.

She pivoted around, "Quickly; take cover!"

The female ANBU barely had time to finish her sentence before a huge booming sound shook the area and black clouds of debris flew towards them. Shocked, the team quickly dove behind various trees, trying to cover themselves as best as they could. The loud rumbling only lasted for a minute before it died down to nothing except a fine layer of black dust on the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Panther called out as she came from behind a tree.

The team slowly reassembled. Badger wiped some black dust from his shoulders, Talon combed his fingers through his light hair to get any of the debris out, and Asuma (being as he didn't have a mask) coughed once or twice, but that was the extent of the damage.

"Another explosion?" Badger asked, crossing his arms.

"That can't be just a coincidence…" Asuma mumbled, getting more uncomfortable by the second.

"No it can't. Let's get going everyone. We barely have a mile to go," Panther instructed sharply.

Soon they were all running again, careful to avoid some of the bigger chunks of rock and the like that had been spewed about by the second explosion. After only a few minutes, the team arrived at a smaller circular clearing. They stood shocked into silence for a moment as they took in what they saw:

Nothing. Just a big black crater and what looked like a used-to-be entrance to somewhere.

Panther lowered to the ground and gave it a good punch, "Damn it!"

"We've been had," Badger growled angrily.

Asuma looked at the rubble almost in disgust. There HAD been something here… But between the time of the first and second explosion, whoever was here got rid of all the evidence. He bit down on his cigarette. Whoever was there…

Did not want a certain silver-haired Jounin to be found.

**Author's Note:**

**Wow, this is the fasted update I've done in a long time. XP **

**I was home sick from school today, and felt in the mood for writing Cursed, so BAM! I spent all day on it. I was actually pretty proud of myself! Usually I'll start another chapter right after I update and then leave it for a few weeks, then come back and go "Oh crap! I need to update!" Yup. That pretty much sums it up. XD **

**Oh! And by the way! "Potentia" is Latin for power/might/authority. I was searching for a Latin word (yes it had to be Latin because Latin sounds cool) to represent this 'chakra substitute' that Orochimaru has concocted. I settled with Potentia after translating several things in the realm of power, spirit, will, etc. Not on my own mind you! I happen to speak no Latin and love the internet. :D **

**Enjoy all! R&R please! It makes me very happy to hear your thoughts! **


	23. No Time Left

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 22/ Recent Reviews**

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! I hope this one it to your liking as well!_

**Prescripto13: **_Thanks!! :D_

**KakashiKrazed: **_Thank you very much! I always worry about keeping Orochimaru in character. I'm glad it came across alright. (And I'm also glad you noticed the bit about Kakashi's dad ) Hoho! Jealousy? Of course not! Not in this story! *shifty eyes* Thanks again! And yes, I'm feeling much better! _

**Fallen Angel Kakashi: **_Ah, you do? You don't see many of those around these days, huh? I like those two, but only if he becomes good somehow again. XP If Kakashi were evil, Konoha would be pretty much dead. But I'm glad you like this story so far! _

**Sora Tayuya: **_Thank you!! I'm really glad that chapter wasn't random! :D And yeah…. Kakashi's really got it tough right now. The poor guy, I'm so mean to him! XP But I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Hope this one is to your liking as well! _

**MemoriesOfNobody: **_Oh, I know! That would be really bad, wouldn't it? *evil smile* I'm glad you caught that! :] I really hope that you like this chapter as well! Thank you for the nice review! _

**coali-travail: **_Thank you! I'm glad you think it's an interesting idea! Oh, thank you very much for bringing that up! I've been having a lot of trouble trying to put in a lot of Gai without making his thoughts too repetitive… But in this chapter, he has more page-time, and most definitely will in the future too! :D_

**Luinon: **_Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was epic! That makes me happy. :D Oh, I know, it's really a double-edged sword for poor Kakashi. I actually think I will have Kabuto in more. He IS Orochimaru's right-hand man, after all. Thanks again! _

* * *

"Well? Hear anything yet?" Gai asked anxiously after a five-minute silence that had put him on edge.

Raven visibly bristled, "For the third time, no, Gai."

Gai scowled to himself, fists tightening. There hadn't been any word at all from the westbound team since they set off to investigate that explosion, and it was making him nervous.

There could be information about Kakashi there. Hell, Kakashi actually could have _been _there! Though the Jounin sincerely hoped that his friend and longtime rival was not at the source of the blast. That could only mean bad news. Still, any news at all would be welcome. By this point, Gai was willing to take what he could get.

Suddenly Raven threw out his arm, signaling to everyone to stop. The reaction was immediate, and soon everyone was standing on separate tree branches. Raven had one hand up to cup the ear with the earpiece in it.

"Roger that. I read you. What have you found, Panther?" He said seriously. Gay's heart jumped a little in his chest.

The green beast didn't think this was possible, but somehow Raven's expression managed to darken throughout the conversation even though he had a mask on. That… Didn't sit well with anyone on the team. Hereto threw a concerned glance over in Gai's direction, which was returned in a much more dangerous-looking way.

Raven's voice was even graver than normal when he spoke again, "… Alright. Continue on… Yes. You know what to do. Raven out."

There was an eerily still silence for about two seconds before the northbound team's leader turned to face his subordinates, "They were too late."

Gai's blood practically froze in his veins, "What does that mean?" He asked dryly.

"It means that both Orochimaru and Kakashi managed to elude us again," Raven sounded very dissatisfied.

"So, what? They ran away? Did the team find the source of the explosion?" Fang asked, crossing his arms. Kuraru sat down on the tree branch next to his master, seeming to sense that the explanation would take a while.

"They did," Raven clarified, "But, as I said, they were too late. By the time the westbound team had gotten to the source, only a large black crater remained. Panther said that when they were about a mile away from the source, another explosion occurred. We can ascertain by that that the enemy was trying to erase their tracks."

"Do we even know if L-" Hiroto blinked slowly, "Orochimaru… Was there in the first place?"

Gai's eyebrows lowered dangerously. That screw-up was just evident enough to where it began to really bug the heck out of him. His suspicion of Hiroto grew substantially, though he had more sense than to call the man out on it right then.

"We are not one-hundred percent sure, no," Raven shook his head, "But that is the highest probability. Especially since we are in Sound Country. Plus, given the shiftiness of the nature of the two explosions described, I would say that there is a rather feasible chance it has something to do with Orochimaru."

"Yeah," Fang agreed, shifting his weight to one leg, "It seems pretty convenient that the second explosion happened so soon after the first."

Raven nodded, "Exactly. The westbound team is going to move along like normal, but they'll be keeping an even tighter watch for suspicious activity," There was a short pause where the team's leader turned away from his subordinates and looked down at the grassy ground below him, "… We can't afford to lose him again."

The earnest drive in his voice was enough to startle everyone. Nevertheless, they all nodded in agreement, clearly seeing the sense in Raven's words. No one knew what Kakashi was going through, so it was important that they find him as soon as they could.

Gai only hoped that they weren't running out of time.

"Let's keep going!"

"Right!"

* * *

A series of bumps caused Kakashi's head to loll around like a damp cloth. He strained to open his eyes, feeling like they had gained an extra twenty pounds since he had last been awake. However, his body seemed to be in the mood for not listening to him, because his eyes remained shut even as his muscles were working in overtime.

Part of the Jounin's mind wanted to go back to sleep again, though a big majority of it was running around in circles telling him that it was too dangerous to sleep here.

But wait… Where was here?

_BA-BUMP! _

Another short series of jolts from underneath him seemed to bring Kakashi closer to full consciousness. He groaned in resistance, like a kid being woken up and told to get ready for school when he really just wanted to continue sleeping. As if in response to the silver-haired man's groan, a small shock of pain made its way through his body.

For some reason, his right arm was feeling the extent of the pain.

Kakashi clenched his teeth together and made to grip the aching arm with his good one, finding that the motion took much longer than it should have. Too bad his eyes weren't really wanting to work right now. He'd love to see what the hell was going on with his arm.

Coming a little farther back into consciousness, the Jounin tried again to open his eyes. Having a little more luck than the previous time, he managed to squint and make out blurry images and shapes around him. He was staring up at some sort of ceiling. But it was… Strangely small. Even his cell was expansive compared to this.

He noticed that he was lying down on a pillow and what felt like some bed sheets hurriedly tossed in a pile and assorted in a nest-like fashion. That was odd… Another bump from below him made his vision even blurrier for a moment.

"… _The hell?" _He thought with a grunt as his eyes readjusted.

Kakashi turned his neck to his left, then his right, to get a better view of his current predicament. He didn't know at first if his eyesight really was leaving him or if the dark walls surrounding him were actually _moving. _

He let out some breath and leaned back down into his pillow all the way, letting his mind try and make out where he was by the noises he heard. He closed his eyes again and, sure enough, found that they hadn't been lying to him. He was indeed moving.

Kakashi felt a few more slight bumps and heard the rolling of what he could only discern as wagon wheels. This didn't sit well with the man. He squinted open his eyes again.

"_Great, so now they're relocating me…_" He thought sourly, "_Then again, that hole I made was pretty big. I doubt they would be able to repair it very quickly… The explosion probably warranted some unwanted attention too._"

He stopped himself at that thought. _Unwarranted attention? _Kakashi's brow furrowed unhappily. Thoughts of Konoha shinobi came to mind. Most likely ANBU, he figured. Tsunade wasn't stupid. She knew Orochimaru better than anyone else but Jiraiya, and because of that, she would know not to screw around. Sending in anything less than ANBU would be suicidal.

In the deep recesses of Kakashi's mind the thought of if there actually were people coming after him came. He dismissed it quickly. Konoha had always been very good about going back to retrieve their own when it came to these things. But that was only for big numbers… And that was what confused the Copy Ninja…

Would they really send so many ninja out to find him that it made Orochimaru want to relocate? Why else would he find the need to? The wall Kakashi broke would've been hard to fix, but not totally irreparable. Besides, the snake bastard definitely wasn't afraid of a few Konoha ninja. A _few._

A sour taste came into Kakashi's mouth. It just went to show how much the rogue Sannin valued his new 'prized pet'. He wanted nothing to get in the way of Kakashi becoming one of his damn henchmen.

"_Even if they do come for me, though, that won't stop this damn transformation…_" Kakashi thought dryly, closing his eyes and going deep in thought, "_… Earth and fire already… Who's to say that the rest of the elements won't come tomorrow? Or maybe even later today?" _He sighed heavily and turned his head to the right.

Two separate long pieces of cloth flapped back and forth in the slight breeze and blocked out most of the sun from the Copy Ninja's view. Luckily there was just enough for him to know that it was still daytime. A small bit of wind slid in through the open cloth and hit him in the face.

Wait, _open_ cloth?

Kakashi studied the crème-colored objects for only a moment before turning his attention to his right arm. He attempted to move it up to his face, and instantly the pain flared up unbearably. Someone may as well have been slowly cutting it off.

He arched his back and gripped down on the bedding below him with his good hand so hard that his knuckles turned white. He bit his lip until a coppery taste began to fill his mouth to keep from shouting out in pain. The last thing he wanted to do was attract more attention to himself.

After about a minute, the pain died down to a dull ache, leaving the silver-haired man gasping (as quietly as he could) frailly. He sent his good, albeit shaking, hand up to his face to yank down his mask. Immediately after, he used the same arm to wipe the surprisingly inordinate amount of blood from his mouth.

"_I guess that's what I get for breaking down an entire stone wall…_" Kakashi thought with dry sarcasm, pulling his mask back up.

Still using his good arm, the Jounin tore a large chunk of the cloth covering his bad arm off. What met his fuzzy gaze was something that he had altogether expected, but didn't want to accept.

His entire arm was completely covered in dark blood. Not only that, but in the sparse spaces where there wasn't any blood, Kakashi could see purple-black bruises already beginning to form.

What bothered him the most, though, was that he couldn't feel anything. He should have been able to feel it if there was that much blood on his arm. In fact, he couldn't even move his fingers, much less feel them… That could only mean that the nerves in his right arm were shot.

And if the nerves were shot, then that arm was virtually unusable. And if one arm was unusable, he couldn't even attempt to use jutsu. Even hand-to-hand would be practically impossible.

And if it weren't treated soon enough, his arm would be stuck like that…

Kakashi let out his anger and frustration in the form of a drawn-out, heavy sigh, "Well, shit…" He mumbled.

With his good hand, he clutched the blood-stained cloth that he had removed from his unfeeling arm and held it up so that he could see it better. Things were about to get even more hellish. If not for him, than for the village. If Orochimaru was to actually able to control him, that would mean bad news for Konoha.

No one would suspect a thing if he walked in casually, even while being controlled by the rogue Sannin. They wouldn't even know… If Kakashi were to kill anyone--

He stopped himself there with a shudder. No. He refused to let that happen. If he himself couldn't stop this madman, then he would have to ask for help. He couldn't afford to mess up; to not succeed. And as Kakashi dropped his blood-soaked piece of clothing to the ground, he only hoped he wasn't too late…

He didn't know how long after that, exactly, that it took them to reach wherever they were going, but it felt too soon. Suddenly, the wagon came to a lurch, and his eyes fluttered open slowly. The Copy Ninja had hoped to get some sleep, being as he'd need all he could get, but none came. His mind was spinning with thoughts that he probably shouldn't have been thinking, and that restlessness made it quite difficult to sleep. Even though these were the best accommodations he'd had since he'd been captured…

Two voices could be heard from outside. From what Kakashi could hear, they were the ones who had been pulling the wagon.

"Do you think we should bring him in now?" The first voice asked. A slightly high-pitched, nervous sounding man.

"No, let's wait until Lady Yuuka gives the good word," The second voice answered. A lower-pitched man, who sounded almost equally as nervous as the first, "If we enter too soon, we may upset Lord Orochimaru…"

Yuuka… Kakashi knew he heard that name before. She was the woman who had treated his injuries from his fight with Masaru. And was also, according to what Orochimaru had previously told him, part of the Musashi Order. That she was there was no surprise to the Jounin, though it did make him slightly nervous…

He would really have to play his cards right if he came across her anytime soon. Kakashi had already deduced from the harsh way she treated his wounds that the woman had a fiery temper… It didn't help that he was known for being a bit of a smartass in a captive situation… In his present condition, if Kakashi said something in his usual sarcastic way and Yuuka flew off the handle, he wouldn't stand a chance.

He would try being a little less of a smartass… Try.

"You two! How is he?" Yuuka's smooth but powerful voice seemingly came out of nowhere.

Even without being able to see outside of the wagon, Kakashi could tell that the two men stood up straighter. She was definitely their superior…

"He hasn't made a sound the whole time, Lady Yuuka," The higher-pitched one said.

This relieved Kakashi in a sort of odd way. He was glad that they didn't hear his groans of pain. Primarily because he had the feeling Yuuka would enjoy hearing about it a little too much.

He hoisted himself up to a sitting position awkwardly, finding it much harder to do without two good arms. Just as he sat up, the two small doors that closed off the front of the wagon were opened, and Yuuka's unhappy scowl met Kakashi's slightly glazed-over gaze. Though immediately after she had looked at him, the man smiled broadly.

"Yes ma'am, I have been quite a good boy. Aren't you proud of me?" Well… He tried. But the smartass in him just couldn't resist.

Yuuka's scowl worsened, "I see that even with only one good arm, you're still just as much of a smartass, Hatake," She spat, glancing quickly down at his right arm.

"_Yes ma'am,_" He thought, grinning again. He had managed to stop himself from saying it out loud, but that didn't mean he didn't want to at least think it.

She scoffed at the enormous grin he had on his face. Even though his mask was on, his emotions were ridiculously clear. She jerked her head backward and folded her arms across her chest.

"Get out," She said not too kindly, stepping aside and shoving back her subordinates to make room for him, "And don't try anything."

Kakashi knew this had been coming… There was no sarcasm in his voice as he said, "Do you really think I would?" No one could argue there. It would be suicidal to try and escape now.

Not only was the Musashi Order probably all here, but as Kakashi climbed out of the wagon (awkwardly; climbing was much harder with only one arm), he could see that people were spread in thin clumps all around the area. All Orochimaru henchmen. All fully capable of killing him if he tried to run away.

Even though it was obvious that the Copy Ninja wouldn't last fighting all of these shinobi in his current condition, the second his feet hit the ground, Yuuka's subordinates surrounded him.

"Get moving," The one with the lower voice said, a gruff edge to his voice. Kakashi felt the tip of a kunai being poked into his back and tensed, starting to walk forward behind the other man.

Yuuka was in front of the one leading Kakashi, looking back every few seconds in spite. How stupid did these people think he was?? It was almost like they wanted him to try and escape. Kakashi chuckled to himself, because that idea actually wasn't all that unbelievable.

They entered a small dark hallway very shortly. Kakashi mulled over the outside of the fortress briefly. It wasn't that impressive. Really, it just looked like half a wall that sunk into the ground, a long hallway splitting it in the middle. But he supposed that if it was big and extravagant, it wouldn't be much of a hideout…

Looking around, the Copy Ninja thought that this place was ridiculous. He hadn't thought much about the outside, but now that they were inside, it was like a giant maze. They were still going on the same long hallway, but every two feet there was another hallways opening up to their left and right. Cages of all sorts littered the torch-lit place, and Kakashi was mildly surprised to see a majority of them already filled up by strange-looking people that had more than likely been experimented on by the snake bastard.

They took several turns, and Kakashi tried to memorize where they were going so that, when the time came, he could escape without too much difficulty. But… Damn, this place was confusing! Plus, it seemed like they were going to the very back of the hideout or something, because three full minutes had already passed.

Finally, another prick at Kakashi's back told him to stop. They were here. It was the end of one of the many hallways they had turned down, and there were no other cells nearby. He supposed there wasn't supposed to be, because this cell looked like it was reserved for 'special guests' only.

It was huge. The Jounin figured that the cell he was previously in could fit in this one three times over. The bars were enormous, and it seemed to take up a whole wall. Yuuka opened the metal gate leading in with a loud squeak, and Kakashi was shoved inside by her cronies.

He turned around to glare at them spitefully just as she closed the gate. She proceeded to glare right back at him, definitely beating him in terms of spite. There was some strange emotion in her red eyes, though, that made Kakashi wonder… It almost looked like…

"Lord Orochimaru will be in to check on you shortly… Though he has other more important things to attend to first…"

Jealousy…

Kakashi scoffed. Truthfully, he wanted to spit, but he didn't feel like giving Yuuka the pleasure of seeing his face again. _She _was jealous of _him_? For what, winning the snake's favor? God, if only she knew how happy it would make him if she was the favored one…

Yuuka pivoted around with a huff and walked away briskly, followed loyally by her two subordinates. Kakashi sighed and shook his head… What a screwed up world he lived in…

Suddenly, Kakashi felt his vision blur and tip to the side. Alarmed, the man put a hand to his head and closed his eyes in an attempt to correct his vision. Unfortunately, it didn't do any good. When he opened his eyes again, Kakashi found that they were just as unhelpful as when he had closed them. Groaning in irritation, he backed up to the wall and slid down in a sitting position before he could fall over.

"Damn…" He glanced down at what he was sure was the problem: his right arm. It was bleeding very freely and, added to the fact that he had probably broken a rib and gotten a head wound from his short spat with Orochimaru, caused the Jounin to start to fade in and out of consciousness.

"_I guess… The fight is… Finally catching up with me_," He thought, gasping as he put his hand back up to his head.

"My, my… You don't look like you feel very well, Kakashi," An unmistakable voice cooed from in front of him.

Kakashi looked up (he hadn't even heard the gate open) and just managed to make out the blurry image of the last person he wanted to see.

* * *

The northbound team continued to run at the fastest pace they could manage, jumping on and over tree branches effortlessly, and not sparing as much as a word to one another.

After the report by Panther on the explosions, the atmosphere had definitely gotten tighter and more serious. They somehow increased their already incredible speed and hadn't stopped even once.

Gai had been spending the silent time thinking uneasily about the ex-Sound ninja that was currently accompanying them. After his little slip-up when talking about Orochimaru, the Green Beast had gotten substantially more suspicious. He was sure that Raven and Fang noticed it too. The ANBU always noticed little things like that. However, they weren't showing any visible reaction to it. They would probably only show it if worse came to worse.

Gai was not an ANBU. That was undeniable. He was not as good at hiding his reactions to things as they were, and it was made obvious here. Granted, he had been careful not to blatantly show anything in front of Hiroto face, but that didn't mean he was going to ignore the suspicion he felt. He heard what he heard and that gave him every right not to trust this man who just appeared out of nowhere.

And so help him, if Hiroto pulled anything weird, or got in their way of finding Kakashi, Gai would waste no time in showing him how honed his taijutsu skills were.

Speaking of Kakashi…

"_I wonder how he's doing…_" Gai thought anxiously, "_I know he's probably not in the best of shape, but… I just hope he's still in one piece…" _

His gaze fell to the ground and his illustrious eyebrows furrowed. It was quite out of character for him to be this somber, but just the thought of Kakashi in the hands of the rogue that had killed the Third and destroyed a good portion of the Leaf was… Unbearable.

"Huh?" Suddenly Gai's eyebrows lifted back up in curiosity. In his downward gaze, he noticed something… Something dark blue clashing with the green of the forest floor. His eyes widened, "_Is that…?!" _

"Everyone, stop!" He yelled out urgently, stopping in his tracks.

Raven, Fang, and Hiroto all halted immediately at the crucial tone of Gai's voice. They turned in his direction just as he jumped down from the trees and onto the ground. Surprised, they all followed suit.

Gai knelt down by the patch of dark blue cloth, his eyebrows furrowing back down. He picked it up and clenched his teeth tightly in anger. It was covered in blood… _Kakashi's blood…?_

"Gai, what is it?" Raven asked quickly.

Gai turned around and held out the piece of cloth to them in an almost reluctant way, "Look. This cloth is made out of the same material as the suits that most Jounin wear."

That caused the group to stiffen. Fang hurriedly held out his hand, "Gai, let me see it a sec."

As soon as the blue cloth was in his hand, Fang held it down next to Kuraru's nose. The dog only sniffed it for a moment before looking back up at his master with a sad whimper. Even with a mask on, it was obvious that Fang was frowning.

"… This is Kakashi's. And… So is the blood. I thought as much… Even I can smell it clearly…"

"It's… It's soaked…" Hiroto muttered in a horrified way. Kakashi must have been through hell.

Raven shook his head, "This was no accident. Kakashi is a smart man; he must have left this cloth here on purpose… Besides, I doubt that Orochimaru would have let him get away with it if he knew about it."

Raven held out his hand in Fang's direction, and Fang immediately understood and placed Kakashi's cloth in the man's hand. Raven looked down at it once and then clenched his fist around it. He addressed the rest of the group.

"Kakashi has left a clear trail for us to follow. Tracking him has now become much easier."

Fang nodded, "That's more than enough of his scent to allow us to track him more effectively. Aside from that, the blood is very recent. Fresh blood is quite easy to track down."

Raven nodded, "Exactly. So, before we continue, I'm going to contact the westbound and eastbound teams. I think it's time for us to group together as one team," His fist tightened slightly around the cloth, "And then make the final push to get Kakashi back."

The group nodded, and Gai couldn't help but look at the bloody fabric in Raven's hand. His fists clenched, and determination took over his features, "_Don't worry Kakashi. We're coming for you!_"

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, so it has officially been almost two full months since I updated…. Wow. I'm so sorry guys!! *bows head* **

**In the beginning of February, my computer AND my laptop both crashed… So, suffice to say, I wasn't able to work on anything for a while. However, the computer is fixed and better than ever, and I got a brand new laptop! (Which I named Mihawk. If you watch One Piece, you'll understand the epicness that name brings. XD) **

**Other than that, though, I've just been having the most horrible Writer's Block! O.O This chapter was completely stumping me for a while. I started it like a week ago, but then I had no idea where to go with it… Luckily, I was on a roll today and finished the entire thing! *does happy dance***

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one! I'll definitely try and be more prompt about these updates! **

**Please review! I love to hear your thoughts! :D Thank you, and take care, everyone! **


	24. The Will of Fire Extinguished

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 23/Recent Reviews**

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Thank you very much! :) Yes. I'm sure we'd all love to see Orochimaru dead. Poor Kakashi…_

**MemoriesOfNobody: **_Thank you! Oh, I know. It's definitely the pits. But I have a new one, so I'm all taken care of!_

**Prescripto13: **_Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D_

**KakashiKrazed: **_Goodness, I hope you can forgive me for being so late… Thank you! I'm glad Gai's little portion was enjoyable! I always feel like I don't do him justice. Oh, I know! Silly Kakashi! Of course they care about you! Thank you very much! I always love hearing from you! :D Hope you like this chapter as well!_

**YoIhsakak: **_Oh my gosh, wow… Thank you SO much! That means so much to me! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! That you're as excited for this as you are excited for the manga is a true honor! I really hope you enjoy this one as much as you have all the others!_

**Sora Tayuya: **_Thank you for your forgiveness! Ooh, I do hope that never happens to you… It's not fun! Thank you! Glad you liked it! Yeah, Kakashi's in a real pickle here… Hopefully they can get him out in time! *laughs evilly as she reads the end of this chapter* Oh, thank you! I'm glad you pointed that out! I'll make sure to watch out more for misspellings! Thank you for reviewing my many stories; it means a lot to me! _

**Luinon: **_Ich, I know… It's the devil, definitely… Whoa, I make him cooler? That's definitely an honor! Thanks! :) Hahaha, I'm glad you have a crush on Raven. That's good news for me; means he's realistic as an anime character._

**Arrowachi: **_Wow, thank you so much! It makes me very happy to hear that this is your favorite "Kakashi gets a curse mark" story! I hope you'll continue reading, and that I live up to your expectations! _

**chirikyubi: **_A-heh-heh… Yeah… 'Bout that… SO very sorry for this chapter being two months late… O.o I've been really preoccupied lately. Hope you'll still read and enjoy! _

**Fallen Angel Kakashi: **_Thanks! Glad you're excited! Yeah, Potentia is pretty powerful stuff. I guess we'll just have to see how it all works out! *grins* _

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Kakashi's fuzzy gaze hardened when Orochimaru's dark silhouette materialized into view. He hadn't heard the gate to his cell open, and that worried him. His mind was truly leaving him if he couldn't pick up a sound so obvious.

Orochimaru chuckled, though it sounded far too soft to the ninja sitting on the ground, "I was going to ask what the trouble was, Kakashi, but now that I see that arm of yours the question seems pointless," He laughed casually, like the man he was speaking to wasn't probably dying from blood loss.

The Copy Ninja wanted SO much to respond to the Sannin's remark in his usual way, but any witty challenge died in his mouth, "Go to hell…" He managed in a raspy voice.

Orochimaru's lips twitched up into a gleaming smirk that even Kakashi could see with his failing vision, "Really, my boy, I'm a bit disappointed that you couldn't come up with a more original retort than that."

Kakashi glared at the rogue Sannin hatefully, which was a bad decision because it impaired his eyesight even more. He groaned, frustrated that his body was being so noncompliant, and put his good hand up to his head again.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue like he was pitying a boy who cut his knee up on a rock. That infuriated Kakashi.

"I will admit that the process of gaining the Potentia can be quite painful at times," Orochimaru said, eyes glinting, "But it's going to be over much quicker for you."

Kakashi's right eye blinked back open as he stared at the man in confusion. Automatically his mind took the words 'over' and 'quicker' and assumed that Orochimaru was really trying to kill him off. However, he quickly dismissed that thought because he was _far _too valuable to the snake bastard. He had to mean that the 'transformation' process'- so to speak -would be faster than it was for the other three.

"The Hell curse mark, my boy," Orochimaru went on to explain, seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes, "It's aiding the Potentia transference."

"What?" His mouth became dry. Truthfully, he had thought the curse mark may have had something to do with this whole Potentia business. But the idea still left a tingly sensation in the back of his throat.

"I made it just for you, you know," He smiled widely, and the almost affectionate tone he used made Kakashi shudder, "There is no other mark like it in the world."

"… I suppose… I should be honored?" Kakashi laid on the sarcasm as heavily as he could, even though he could feel himself slipping farther and farther into the dark.

Orochimaru's grin widened, "I suppose you should be," It angered Kakashi that the Sannin was being more witty than him at the moment.

However, wittiness was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as he felt his eyes try and force themselves shut. The Copy Ninja struggled as hard as he could to resist, being as the idea of being unconscious in a room with Orochimaru was one of the most unpleasant things he could think of. Unfortunately, his injuries were a little too severe for much resistance. The rogue Sannin must've been able to see that. After all, this whole ordeal was his doing.

Orochimaru laughed, "It's quite frustrating, isn't it? When your body won't listen to what your mind is trying to tell it," His eyes glinted with a light that was scary even to a man that could hardly see, "I do admire your determination, Kakashi, but enough is enough… Wouldn't you agree?"

Kakashi's stomach knotted painfully. As if responding to the man's words, his body began to shut down. The Jounin couldn't even form an audible response to what was said. He took in deep breaths to try and steady his ever-increasing heart beat, though they didn't do much good.

Suddenly, his arm was bleeding too much, his head was throbbing too hard, and each breath seemed to be insufficient.

The last thing Kakashi remembered before his head met the floor was the insane smirk of his captor; the man he currently hated the most out of anyone in the world.

The man who was slowly breaking him.

……………………………….....................................................................................

"… How are they doing, Lady Hokage?" A concerned Iruka said, standing in the Hokage's office and waiting apprehensively for her answer.

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. She knew the Chuunin was just worried, but this was a difficult question that gave her much frustration, "Not as well as they could be doing," Was the only short answer she could come up with.

"Really?" Iruka's brow lifted with worry.

"… I was going to send them on a mission earlier today, but I figured that pairing them up with another Jounin was… Not a good idea."

Iruka looked down at his feet and rubbed his fingers together nervously, "Yes, that doesn't sound like it would work out well. At least, not in their current mindset..."

Tsunade sighed in defeat, "Well, I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I can't just sit here and pretend that everything's alright."

Iruka chewed on his lower lip. Though it had only been a day since Kakashi got taken by Orochimaru, Squad Seven was already noticeably different. The situation had already hit them hard, and they hadn't been their normal selves since it had happened.

"_Being there when it happened must have really taken its toll on them…" _Iruka thought ruefully, "_That's a horrible thing to go through." _

"… I don't suppose you've heard anything back from the ANBU teams yet…?" The Chuunin asked hopefully.

Tsunade shook her head. She seemed to look much more her age suddenly, "No, unfortunately."

"Oh," There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Tsunade looked up.

"You… Can go now, Iruka," She said softly.

"O-Oh, yes. Of course," He bowed his head, "Sorry for disturbing you Lady Hokage."

"It's no problem," She shook her head.

"Goodbye," Iruka said politely, and stepped out the door.

As it clicked behind him, Iruka sighed. Squad Seven was really hurting right now. He wished there was some way he could help them. An image of Naruto passed shortly through his head, and his brow furrowed in thought.

"_Naruto… You probably feel so guilty about what happened to Kakashi…"_

Iruka walked out of the Hokage's tower- albeit slower than usual -and started for the only spot he thought Naruto would be right now. He couldn't fix much of anything at this point, but he could at least try and offer his old student some company.

……………………………….....................................................................................

Tsunade put her face in her hands after Iruka left, letting out a long sigh. All of this was making her sick to her stomach. It infuriated her to no end that Kakashi was now in Orochimaru's hands, and even more so that she couldn't do anything about it. The only thing she could do was just pray that the ANBU teams were successful.

"Knock, knock," A playful voice came from her right. She turned to see Jiraiya squatted on one of her window panes, giving her a friendly smirk.

"Where have _you _been?" She asked with not much energy.

Jiraiya hopped into her office, "Oh, you know. Wandering around the countryside, trying to dig up more information about the Akatsuki and what not."

"And?"

He grunted, "Not so successful so far," He rubbed the back of his head with a hand, "I've been, uh, a little preoccupied lately."

"Peeping?" Tsunade said accusingly, narrowing her eyes and raising an eyebrow. She swiveled around all the way in her chair to face him.

Jiraiya put his hands up, "Hey, take it easy! First of all, it's not _peeping, _it's _research. _Second of all, that's not what I've been preoccupied with, believe it or not."

"Oh?" Tsunade did seem legitimately surprised.

"Yeah. Actually, I've been trying to find out the whereabouts of Orochimaru," His tone went sour.

"Oh," All the energy Tsunade had seemed to suddenly drain out of her system, "So what made you come back?"

"… I heard about Kakashi," Jiraiya's gaze narrowed, "I came back as soon as I heard."

Tsunade looked away from him in shame, clenching her fists on her lap. He crossed his arms and shook his head, "However, I'm afraid I couldn't figure out much else other than that. It's a good thing, I suppose. It would be bad news for the Leaf Village if word of the incident spread around too much. You've kept a good job keeping the details hidden."

Tsunade closed her eyes momentarily as age began to creep up into her face again, "Well, I suppose that's somewhat a relief. It would be bad for details of Kakashi's kidnapping to be disclosed to the public."

"So, what _are _the details?" Jiraiya asked, "Not to pry, but I'd like to know, myself. This news bothered me quite a bit when I heard about it."

"Of course; you have every right to know," Tsunade leaned an elbow on her desk, "I'm just going to warn you right now, though," She looked up at him with a hard gaze, "It's worse than you probably think."

……………………………….....................................................................................

Iruka made his way up to the Hokage Faces, not being surprised that he was the only one who was going up. He walked up to the very top, and searched around for a blob of yellow and orange on the brown stone. Naturally, it wasn't that hard to find.

Naruto sat crossed legged on the middle of what would be the Third Hokage's head, gazing out onto the village with an unusually somber face. Iruka walked up behind him.

"Looks like I was right about you being up here," The Academy teacher said in a light tone.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said in a surprised tone as he craned his neck to look at his visitor, "You knew I was up here?"

"Well sure," Iruka sat down by his former student, curling up his knees and resting his arms on them, "You always come here when something's bugging you."

"Oh," Naruto said, turning his gaze back to village. He chuckled, "Wow; didn't know I was so predictable

"Ah, I don't know about that," Iruka smiled, looking out to the village too, "Most of the time you're quite _un_predictable."

Naruto laughed in return, though Iruka couldn't help but notice it had a little less mirth than usual, "I guess you just know me too well, sensei."

Iruka's smile widened a little, "I guess I do," There was a silence between the two of them before Iruka let seriousness settle on his face, "… Are you worried about Kakashi?"

Naruto's expression sobered immediately, and he curled up his legs and folded his arms across them. He rested his head on his arms, "… How can I not be worried?"

Iruka smiled at the boy in sympathy, "I completely understand Naruto. It's natural to worry about people that you care about; especially if they happen to be in a dangerous situation."

"Dangerous situation…" Naruto muttered, his brow furrowing, "He's being held hostage by Orochimaru! That's more than a dangerous situation; he could… He could die," He gripped his sleeves tightly.

Iruka frowned. Obviously Naruto had already taken into account the seriousness of the situation. It was good in a way; the teacher was glad that he had become less ignorant and more realistic in his training and missions, but… All of this worrying had to be hurting him. It was like he had lost all hope.

Iruka sighed, "I know… The stakes are quite high here," Iruka decided to leave out the Curse Mark. If Naruto didn't already know about it, he didn't want to be the one to tell him, "Kakashi's life is in jeopardy. That in and of itself is news to worry over. But…" He looked out over the village with a smile on his face, "I'm not worried."

Naruto looked at Iruka like he was insane, "How can you not be worried?!" His voice started to rise, and his head shot up, "You're just fine with Kakashi-sensei _dying_??"

"That's not it," Iruka shook his head, and his smile still lingered, "I just believe in Kakashi, that's all."

"Huh?" Naruto looked surprised, like something just hit him in the face.

"I believe in Kakashi," Iruka stated again, "I know him well enough to know that he's a strong shinobi. In fact, he's one of _the _strongest ninja I've ever had the privilege of knowing. He's my ally, my comrade, my friend. And if anyone were to go up against Orochimaru and win, it would be him," His smile widened as he looked back at Naruto, "That's why I'm not worried about him."

Naruto blinked a few times before a smile came over his face. It was a sad smile, "Wow… You're right, sensei… I'm a pretty big idiot, huh? Here I am thinking the worst, and you're not scared at all. You have complete faith in him."

Iruka shrugged, and a thoughtful look came across his face, "I suppose I am a little worried…" He couldn't lie, he was, "But I think Kakashi will pull through."

Naruto's smile grew into one that wasn't so sad, "Yeah. I think so too. He's pretty awesome, after all."

"… You know, he saved my life once."

"Really??" Naruto once again had a surprised look come across his face.

"Yup," Iruka nodded, "I was pretty lucky," He looked over the village again, "The funny part is, I didn't even really know him at the time."

"What do you mean?"

"We were on a mission. It was one of my first big ones as a Chuunin. I was assigned to a group with two other ninja my rank, and three ANBU Black Ops members."

"ANBU?" Naruto looked confused, "I've never heard of Chuunin going on a mission with ANBU members."

"Actually, the Black Ops wasn't too fond of the idea at first," Iruka chuckled, "But the Third Hokage insisted that we go along on the mission. It was kind of a way for us to get out and see the real world."

"Was it a tough one?"

"Oh yeah. It was horrifying. We Chuunin had never seen so much death and violence in our lives."

Naruto gulped, "Wow. Sounds pretty intense," He looked thoughtful when this happened, "How long ago was this?"

"About six years ago now, I guess."

"Wow… So… How did Kakashi-sensei save you?"

"Well, our mission was to infiltrate the base of a resident crime lord who Konoha had been keeping an eye on for a while and, well… Get rid of him. We had successfully surrounded the building when we were ambushed by a whole gang of hired shinobi."

"_Here they come!"_

"_Damn! They anticipated us!"_

"_Get the recruits into position!"_

"Whoa," Naruto looked impressed, "I never knew you went on missions that intense, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Hey, what are you trying to say?"

"Tell me more!" Naruto was engrossed in the story.

"Anyway…" Iruka continued, "The ANBU immediately got down to business and took out a good majority of the shinobi. However, these shinobi were very well trained. We had anticipated ahead of time that the boss would have hired help, and that they would be strong. But anticipating something doesn't make you ready for it. And we Chuunin definitely demonstrated that.

There must have been at least one hundred men there," Iruka shook his head as if dismissing the horrible memory, "It was like a slaughter. Men just went down one after the other, and we could hardly keep up with the speed and precision of the ANBU members. There were a few instances where all of us wondered if we would be going home alive. I suppose it was just sheer luck that we all ended up living."

Naruto blinked again, "Jeez, it was that bad?"

"Mm-hmm," Iruka nodded, "We were terrified. But we had to keep fighting, or else we would all be killed ourselves. Anyway, I had sustained a deep cut on my shoulder midway through the fight, and it was bleeding really heavily. But, like I said, I couldn't stop fighting because the shinobi wouldn't stop coming. I would just leave myself open if I stopped to try and tend to myself.

"Damn it…" _Iruka cursed mentally as he struck down another shinobi. His breathing was labored and he had to blink a few times to get his eyes to see straight, "_This is getting to be too much… My shoulder won't stop bleeding, and all of these new cuts…"

_He had been separated from the other Chuunin a while ago, deciding to try and distract the enemy so that the others could continue on. He didn't figure the ANBU would even think of backing him up. After all, this is the way ANBU worked, right? Anything can be sacrificed for the mission. _

_It had worked for a little while, but…_

_Iruka had noticed that since his shoulder was hurt, he had become slower. More blows and weapons from the enemy shinobi were making contact with his body, and he feared he wouldn't last much longer if it kept up. _

_His senses barely picked up a flurry of shuriken and kunai headed in his direction. He gripped his own kunai tighter and managed to knock a few of the weapons away, though a majority hit the target. _

_He grunted in pain and staggered back, letting his own weapon fall to the bloodied ground. His world darkened as his legs gave out from underneath him. This was it, huh? His breathing became labored as drops of sweat mixed with blood trickled down his face. _

_Suddenly he heard several grunts from above. Iruka looked up, surprised, to see two of the enemy ninja who had previously been coming for him fall to the ground. He blinked back in shock right before he was yanked up by his arm with a wince and was pulled back. In a moment he felt the base of a tree at his back. He blinked back the red dots in his vision and gazed up in awe._

"_You alright?" A shock of silver hair met the young man's gaze. An ANBU member was standing in front of him protectively, looking around with his katana drawn to make sure there were no more enemies coming. _

"_I-I dunno…" Iruka said breathlessly, trying to find his voice. _

_The ANBU slid his katana back into its sheath and knelt down next to Iruka. He looked him over once, and then tore off a strip of the Chuunin's sleeve, "That was a courageous thing you did…" He glanced up at Iruka's face. Mismatched eyes met Iruka's dark brown, "What's your name again, kid? Umino?"_

"_Y-Y-Yes… Sir. Iruka Umino," Iruka stammered. _

"_Don't call me 'sir', Umino," The ANBU replied, almost as if he were irritated at the title, "It's just Wolf." _

"_S-Sorry…" Iruka stammered as Wolf pressed the piece of cloth to his shoulder. _

"_Hold it down there," Wolf instructed, "We don't have time to properly bandage the wound yet, but if you keep pressure on it, you should hold out until we can."_

"… _O-Okay… Thank you…" Iruka held the cloth down hard, a little disturbed at how quickly the material was getting wet. _

_Wolf stood back up all the way, sliding his katana back out so fast that Iruka didn't even see it happen. He was curious for a moment, but then heard the approaching enemies. On reflex, he started to sit back up. _

"_Don't, Umino," Wolf said, "You've done your job already. Just let me take care of the rest of these bastards."_

_Iruka didn't even get a chance to respond before Wolf took off, cutting down ten enemies in the time it would take the Chuunin to take down three. He was astounded by the man's strength. No wonder he was an ANBU… _

"Odd…" _Iruka thought as he watched Wolf fight, "_He doesn't act like the other two… Like any other ANBU I've ever met or heard of, actually…"

_In only a few minutes, Wolf had walked back over to Iruka and slid his katana back in again. He sighed, like he was ashamed of cutting down those men. Iruka suddenly felt guilty, "W-Wait," He said hoarsely, "Why did you… Stay to help me?" _

"… _What do you mean?" _

"_By… Staying to help me… Didn't that jeopardize the mission?" He had a concerned look on his face, "I mean… Wouldn't it have gone faster if you hadn't come back?"_

_Wolf's eyes flashed with a peculiar rage that Iruka had never seen before. He flinched back on instinct before he heard Wolf sigh and shake his head again, "It _would _have gone faster, because you'd be _dead_." _

_Iruka blinked at the hard truth, "Well… I…" he gulped, and then set his mouth in a fine line, "If it was for the sake of the mission, I--" _

"_Never say that," Wolf said firmly, meeting Iruka's gaze for another second, "Ever. No matter what the other idiots try to tell you. NO mission is worth the life of a comrade. Remember that, Umino." _

_Iruka's mouth fell open in shock. He expected to get chastised for deterring the mission, not for what he said. But who was he to argue with this ANBU? "O-Oh… Alright…"_

_Wolf shook his head and pivoted around, "There shouldn't be any other enemies coming, so you should be safe for the time being. I'll regroup with the others and we'll get you some medical attention."_

_Iruka nodded dazedly. Wolf turned his head towards him, "You're very brave, Umino, but don't sell yourself short. Your life is worth something too," He was gone before Iruka had a chance to respond. _

_The Chuunin took a beat to process all of this information. That man… Wolf… He was really something. Iruka leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes as exhaustion finally took over. _

"_Thank you, Wolf…"_

"Wow…" Naruto's eyes glimmered in awe as he looked over the village with a smile on his face; a true, proud, smile, "Kakashi-sensei… He really is amazing, isn't he?"

Iruka nodded, "That he is… Now come on," Iruka stood up, Naruto looking at him confusedly, "Let's go get some ramen. It's on me!"

The Genin's face instantly brightened up, "Really?? Awesome! Thanks sensei!!"

Iruka smiled and followed Naruto back down to the village, "_Kakashi… I know you have the strength to get through this. Don't give up. After all, you were the one who taught me that, weren't you?"_

……………………………….....................................................................................

"Is everyone clear on our new course of action?" Raven announced to the group.

The three squads had just met up and were briefed on the situation by Raven. They all agreed that banding together was probably the best idea now, being as Kakashi himself had formally requested help. Since all of them had worked with him at least once- except for Talon and Hiroto -they all knew it was very rare for him to actually ask for help. Usually he was so stubborn you couldn't get him to agree to anything like that.

Everyone present nodded their heads in unison. Raven had just finished giving them all careful instructions on what the new plan was, and each individual was sure of what they were to do.

"Kakashi once took the whole ANBU by storm, throwing away all of our ideals and trying to get us to see his own," Raven said thoughtfully, shaking his head, "He resigned his position as an ANBU right after doing so. Maybe if we hadn't been so hard-headed back then, that wouldn't have happened."

There were low murmurs of agreement heard from around the circle. Raven took in all of the masked faces, and his mind automatically went back to Kakashi's last day in the ANBU. They had just gotten back from taking down a local crime boss in the area, and it had been more of a fight than they thought.

"_Why the hell did they send Chuunin with us?" Badger asked heatedly as the team gathered on the roof of a building next to the Hospital._

"_It was a whim of Lord Hokage's," Raven said sourly, "As much as we detested it, we had no control."_

_Badger grunted, crossing his arms, "Hmph. Well at least the mission was successful." _

"_Yes," Raven nodded, "Though I am displeased with the time it took us to accomplish the task. If we hadn't the burden of the Chuunin, we would have finished quicker."_

_Kakashi, who had been facing away from the two of them, whirled around at Raven's comment, "The time!? Who the hell cares about how long it took us to complete the damn mission?!" _

_Raven and Badger each took on surprised looks. Even with their masks on, you could tell they were shocked, "Mind your tongue, Wolf!" Raven hissed, "The less time it takes to complete the mission, the more time we have to regroup for the next one. You of all people should know that!" _

"_Regroup? Next mission? Is that all you idiots ever think of??" Kakashi growled fiercely, clenching his fists. _

_Badger swiftly grabbed Kakashi by his collar, "Hey! You'd better watch your damn mouth Hatake! Stop acting like a brat!" _

"_Better a brat than a fool," Kakashi said, eyes narrowing, shoving Badger off of him._

"_What was that??" Badger fumed. _

"_I said I'd rather be a brat than a fool like the two of you," Kakashi said lowly. _

"_I said mind your tongue, Wolf!" Raven said, stepping forward to stand by Badger, "If I do recall, you never came into the base with us because you were too busy playing around outside!"_

_Kakashi scoffed, "Oh, sorry I didn't come. I was too busy saving the life of a Chuunin that you both left for _dead!_" _

_Badger looked thoughtful for a moment and then grunted, "Oh, you mean the weak-looking one with the scar on his nose? That was his choice!"_

"_His choice?! You're saying it was his choice to die? You two didn't even stay to back him up! Umino was left _by himself _with over thirty of the hundred enemy shinobi! The enemy shinobi that were at least at a Jounin level!" _

_Badger chuckled, "It's good practice for the kid." _

"_Umino knew his place," Raven said coldly, "He knew he was too weak to keep up, so he decided to sacrifice himself for the good of the mission. A worthwhile cause."_

_Kakashi's eyes flared up with rage, and he punched Raven so hard in the face that his mask cracked from the impact. Surprised but not off guard, Raven caught himself before he fell all the way to his back. _

"_What the HELL do you think you're pulling?!" Badger ran and pinned Kakashi down with a kunai to his neck. _

_Kakashi didn't even flinch, "I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago!" he yelled, "All of the ANBU's rules and regulations… Their ideals, their way of life… It's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard!!"_

"_If you think that, then why did you even join the ANBU in the first place, Hatake!?" Raven spat Kakashi's name. _

"_Because I love my village, damn it!" Kakashi threw Badger off of him, "I joined the ANBU because I thought I could protect Konoha! But there's a kid who's lying in the Emergency Care Unit right now who has completely proven me otherwise!" He pointed to the Hospital. _

"_What the hell are you going on about? Umino!?" Badger yelled, "That boy is just a kid! He knows nothing!"_

"_Exactly!" Kakashi yelled louder, "He's an average shinobi, with no special fighting abilities, who's never seen war! But he holds more of the Will of Fire than the two of you EVER will!" _

_Raven and Badger looked taken aback. Kakashi continued, "When I saved Umino, his entire body was shaking! He was traumatized! On the verge of death, and the only thing he could think about was how he had jeopardized the damn mission!" _

"_I don't say what you're getting so upset about, Hatake!" Raven said, "Umino is learning well if that is the case! He may even become a sufficient ANBU member one day!"_

"_God forbid!" Kakashi shouted, "That kid has a good heart; one that's too pure for you idiots to even begin to comprehend! A shinobi like that has potential! Is the future of this village! And that potential and future is in every kid who comes on a mission with the ANBU! So why in the hell would we willingly destroy our potential and our future!?" _

_He turned away in pure rage, "It makes no sense to me. And up until now I've foolishly gone along with everything even though I didn't understand. But no more. I want no part in this travesty any longer!"_

"_So, what? Are you going to quit?!" Badger shouted. _

"_Yes, I am," Kakashi took one look at the two of them, "Because I want to be able to actually sleep at night knowing that I'm not responsible for innocent people's deaths," He flew away with such speed that Badger and Raven could only watch._

"_That son of a--!" Badger started to run after Kakashi, but Raven put a hand out to stop him._

"_No, Badger. Let him go. Fools like him have no place with us." _

_Badger grunted, "Good riddance…" _

Raven shook his head, "Looking back, I've realized that we were the real fools. We didn't even try to comprehend what Kakashi was telling us."

"We were so caught up in the way of life that we were taught in the ANBU, we didn't even think twice about other shinobi," Badger said quietly and regretfully.

"But that has changed; at least for the most part," Raven said, "We are all going to find Kakashi, and we're going to bring him back to the village even if that means we die in the process."

Several voices of agreement sounded from around the circle, and Raven continued, "I have already sent a messenger hawk to Lady Tsunade, so let's head out immediately!"

The group moved swiftly into a v-shaped formation with Raven in the front. Gai followed right beside the leader, his brow set in a determined line:

"_The day you quit the ANBU…" _He mused, "_I remember that day well, Kakashi," _He smirked a little, "_I'd never seen you fight so hard before in one of our spars. You were so angry, and when I asked you what the trouble was, you just sighed and said that the world was a troubling place. After the fight, I was still confused, but you just clapped me on the back and thanked me," _Gai smiled:

"_You're a confusing man, Kakashi Hatake. But… I wouldn't rather have anyone else watching my back." _

………………………………_....................................................................................._

"I see… That's troubling news, indeed…" Jiraiya muttered after Tsunade had finished explaining the situation to him, "But 'Plan B'? Somehow that doesn't sound quite like the Orochimaru I know…"

"How so?" Tsunade asked, "He always seems to be prepared for most everything. You know that."

"Yes, but this doesn't seem like one of those things, you know?" Jiraiya put a hand to his chin in thought, "I mean, why go to all of that trouble to mark Sasuke and then kidnap Kakashi? It doesn't sound like Orochimaru to give up like that. When he wants something, he'll do anything to get it, and the harder it is to get, the more appealing it is for him."

"That's true," Tsunade mumbled, "Truthfully, though, I don't think I understand his mind at all anymore…" She sighed heavily, "Hm?" Something black flying towards one of her windows caught her eye, "What's that?" She stood up, squinting at the object.

"What's what?" Jiraiya turned around too. His brow knitted together again when he saw what it was, "A messenger hawk?"

"No…" Tsunade walked up to the windowsill as the bird landed, "It's a raven," Her stomach flew up to her throat, "Does this mean they have news about Kakashi?"

Now Jiraiya was interested too, and watched carefully as Tsunade took the scroll from the raven's back and read it over thoroughly. Her eyebrows came together in a mix of frustration and worry after she finished reading the scroll. She let out some air and set the parchment on her desk, sitting down on her chair and staring at it.

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked apprehensively.

"All three of the squads I sent are grouping up into one large squad and going to find Kakashi as a whole," She bit her thumb, "Apparently they found a piece of Kakashi's clothing lying on the ground, covered in blood."

"But… Orochimaru would want Kakashi's whereabouts to be a secret… Why would he allow something that could be used to track him to go free?"

"He didn't," Tsunade shook her head, "The teams have already deduced that. You're right; Orochimaru wouldn't allow it. But if he didn't know about it…"

It took Jiraiya a moment to process the information before some surprise settled on his face, "So the brat's actually asking for help?"

"That's what it looks like…" Tsunade nodded, "I guess it really is worse than we thought. Something very bad must be going on if Kakashi himself actually asked for help."

Jiraiya shook his head, "Well, for everyone's sake, I hope they bring him back safely."

Tsunade nodded in agreement, and watched as the messenger raven flew off into the afternoon sun.

……………………………….....................................................................................

"Lord Orochimaru, Kaka--"

"--ch great news!"

"It's --most done."

"--cellent. I sh-- ha-- full con--"

Kakashi strained to make out the words of the people who were speaking around him. However, the pounding in his head made it hard to understand much of anything. What had happened? Oh, right. He passed out… But… What happened after that? Where was he?

His eyes refused to open, and his entire body seemed to be made of lead. Why did he feel so heavy? Why in the hell did his head hurt so bad? It felt like someone was driving a dagger through his temple, trying to get into his brain.

For a long time, he could only see black. But then, slowly, an orange sheet of glistening flames started to creep up into his vision. It smothered his face, made it so he couldn't breathe. Struggling to get free, Kakashi tried to scream, but no sound came out. The flames engulfed him so that he could see only orange.

The orange intensified to a bright red, and became so hot that Kakashi could almost feel his own skin peeling off. Then suddenly the red light exploded into a blanket of white, and everything became still.

And then his eyes opened.

And he could see nothing. Nothing…

Except for Lord Orochimaru.

"Welcome home, my son…"

**Author's Note: **

**Uh… Hi guys! *hides behind a brick wall to avoid being demolished* I suppose it would be like playing a broken record if I said I was sorry for being so incredibly late, but…**

**I'M SORRY!! T.T **

**I really am. However, these past two months have been really hectic for me, so I haven't gotten much of a chance to write… I'll explain why, just so you all know that I'm not lying. **

**First of all, I was VERY busy. Like, really busy. March was a really intense month for homework at my school, and I had to study for state testing. **

**Second of all, my uncle died on March 16****th****. It was on the same day last year that my grandfather, his father, died as well. It was a very hard time for my mom, being as it was her brother, so I wasn't all that focused on writing. I wanted to do what I could to comfort her. But I also wasn't in a writing mood for a few weeks after that, so I apologize. **

**And third of all, I've been really sick. XP April was a very hard time for me, because I was home sick from school for quite a while. It was mainly bad acid reflux, so I couldn't eat much of anything for a while either… It was pretty lame. And naturally, since I was gone from school, my grades started dropping so I was freaking out about that. I'm the kind of person who won't accept anything less than an A, so… Yeah.**

**But! I have worked hard and gotten my grades up, and we're going to see a specialist for my stomach problems. (I get sick ALL the time, so we're hoping he can fix things! XD) So, good things are happening! :D **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! To apologize for my being so late, I made it a few pages longer than normal. And aaaah!! What a cliffy at the end! :P I'm so awful. But hey! Nothing much else was happening in this chapter plot-wise.**

**A big chunk of this one is explaining Kakashi's last mission as an ANBU. I've always wanted to do a take on his last mission and why he quit, and I tried really hard to tie Iruka's story in with Raven's memories. So, I hope that didn't come across as too random! **

**Also also! I know I haven't had much Gai in recent chapters, and I feel really bad about that…. T.T But I swear, there WILL be more! We're getting to the more intense chapters here, so believe you me, there will be some Gai action! **

**Please review! I love hearing your thoughts! Thank you to all of you readers out there who have been SO patient with me! Take care! :D**

**(P.S. to KakashiKrazed: I am SO SORRY! I've been super busy, as I said, so I haven't reviewed your latest chapters. I know you've updated a lot, and I will try my hardest to get some reviews in soon!) **


	25. Kakashi No More

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 24/Recent Reviews**

**Cat488: **_Thank you! :D Yeah, poor Sensei… He really drew the short straw with this one… Well, hopefully this chapter will appease you somewhat!_

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Thank you! T.T Yay for being forgiven! Thank you for that; I'm glad the flashbacks came across alright! I was worried about that! Ahh, we all hope that… Well that's sure an idea, isn't it? I guess we'll have to see! ;) _

**MemoriesOfNobody: **_Whew, that's a relief… Thank you muchly! Glad you liked it! :3_

**KakashiKrazed: **_You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that you of all people don't mind waiting for my updates. :) Thank you! I'm really glad Raven and Iruka's flashbacks tied in well; that's what I was aiming for! Haha, I'm glad I can make you shiver somewhat! I guess we'll just see what happens when the ANBU teams finally reach Kakashi… Thank you very much; I really appreciate that. We are doing much better. Yeah! I've actually been in really good health recently, so I'm hoping it doesn't end soon! Hope you enjoy this chapter! I love your thoughts as always!_

**Prescripto13: **_Thank you very much! *shudders* Yeah, I agree… Being unconscious in a room with Orochimaru would be… Unsettling… O.O Hope you like this one!_

**slippup: **_Thanks! :D Hope you keep reading!_

**Fallen Angel Kakashi: **_Oh no, please don't feel guilty! That was just the day that he was called to Heaven, I suppose. Merely coincidence! As for your review, thanks muchly! Ooh, good guess! I'm glad you're already reading into things! Thank you very much; I really appreciate it. :) _

**.Syurp: **_Your username makes me giggle whenever I look at it, and I can't figure out why… XD Anyway! Haha, yeah, Orochimaru is definitely a ten on the creeper scale. Ah, it's alright! I'm doing much better now! Oh really? He did? Good to know! Though I wrote him freaking out because, well, it was kind of like a 'last straw' type thing. Plus he was a lot younger. XP Hehehe… Well… Sorry, but… I like my cliffies… And you kinda get one here too, so… Sorry! ^^' _

**Crazy4Zoro: **_By the way, I TOTALLY identify with your username! Go Zoro! XD Thank you very much! Glad you like it! Haha, I'm glad someone else realizes that! Cliffies are a writers best friend and a reader's worst nightmare! I hope so too! Good luck Kakashi! Hope you like this one too. :D_

**LunaQuetzal: **_Hahaha, because I'm very evil like that… XD If you've read any of my other stories, you'd see that I love cliffhangers to death. Glad that scene made you shiver! It certainly made me shiver while writing it… :/ Yay Jiraiya! Thanks again for your review!_

**anon (ann.): **_Thanks! Glad it's exciting! Hope you keep reading!_

**Sora Tayuya: **_Nah, don't worry about it! Daijobu! :D Thank you very much! I'm really happy you liked the flashbacks; they were the part I was most worried about! Jiraiyaaaaa! T.T I know; trust me, I'm not over it either… Who, three times! That's certainly an honor! O.O Thank you once again for your awesome review Sora-chan! Yours always make me smile!_

**Arrowachi: **_Thankies! Glad you liked the flashbacks! Yeah… Kakashi's in a pretty big pickle right now… XP Hm? What was that about the squad having to fight Kakashi? Internal battle? Huh? *whistles innocently* Thanks again! Glad you're still lovin' it! :3 _

**juman1994: **_Yeah, it was quite a hectic couple months… But I appreciate your thoughts! I am feeling much better now! _

**lady shadow 009 (ann.): **_Thanks! Glad you like it!_

**The voice of Gai (ann.): **_Haha, I appreciate the thought. XD Yes, Gai is quite distraught right now! _

**Luinon (ann.): **_Hehe… Hehe… Don't worry; Kakashi will be… Relatively fine? Thanks! Ooh, nice realization there! :D Yeah, I figured that would be about the time when Kakashi would start to act like his dead teammate. Hope you like this chappie!_

**chirikyubi (ann.): **_Oh wow, thank you very much! :D That's a huge honor! I hope you'll keep reading! _

**Piper Julian: **_Thank you! I'm really happy you've enjoyed it so far! I hope you keep on enjoying it! :3_

**A/N: Another AMAZING amount of reviews for one chapter for me! :D Thanks a ton everyone! **

…

"Welcome home, my son…"

Yuuka folded her arms distastefully as she watched the scene unfold before her. She glared hatefully at the man who had taken away Lord Orochimaru's attention, though she knew it would do no good. He was still there and would probably still be there for a considerable amount of time. After all, Lord Orochimaru was quite fond of him…

"_Miserable Leaf brat… I don't see the appeal," _She thought nastily, meeting his gaze for a moment. However, she had to quickly look away from him after only a few seconds.

That look in his eye… That… Odd blank look. It wasn't natural.

Of course, it was all planned out this way. He wasn't exactly going to look 'normal' in his current mental condition. Unfortunately, their research hadn't reached that peak yet. But still… Just because it was expected didn't mean that Yuuka was going to like it.

Kakashi suddenly went down to one knee and bowed his head towards Orochimaru, making a new flare of rage jump up inside of Yuuka. Her fists clutched angrily at her sides.

It made her even angrier when Orochimaru laughed gleefully and placed one of his hands on top of the young man's head.

This wasn't fair! _She _was the one who made the poison! _She _was the one who spent days making sure it was absolutely perfect for her master! _She _was the one who gave the damn Hatake the doses! In fact, she was the whole reason he was under Lord Orochimaru's control! Why wasn't her lord praising her?

"Calm yourself, Yuuka," Kenshin whispered suddenly from her side. A twinge of apprehension laced his speech.

She took a few deep breaths and slowly unclenched her fists, feeling the air around her grow suddenly more fresh and crisp. Kenshin's brow furrowed as he spoke to her again:

"Do not become so distraught," He whispered, "You know what will happen if you let your temper get the best of you."

"I know," She replied, rather snappishly. One wouldn't easily forget lighting a building on fire with just their own anger.

As Yuuka brought her gaze back up to a regular level, the menacing flash of glasses caught her attention. She froze in her spot. Kabuto looked at her straight in the eyes with a calm evil in his face that only he could achieve.

She quickly turned away and gulped down the large lump that had formed in her throat. A bead of sweat dripped from her face. Kenshin was right… She couldn't afford to let her temper get away from her again.

"_Who knows how many more chances I'll get?" _

…...

… Who was he?

"Kakashi…" Orochimaru cooed in a pleased tone.

Kakashi? That sounded familiar. Was it a name? His name? Or perhaps his lord was just referring to someone else? … No. He was looking right down at him. It had to be his name…

The young silver-haired man kept his head lowered in respect, listening intently as his lord began to speak again. To some measure of his surprise, the Sannin actually knelt down to look at him face to face.

"Your name is Kakashi… Understand?"

"Kakashi…" The man tested out the name, mulling over it for a moment before nodding his head obediently, "Understood, sir."

Kakashi… Kakashi… Why did that name sound so familiar? The more it was said, the more familiar it sounded. Well, it was _his_ name, or so Lord Orochimaru told him. And if his lord told him, he would believe it without a second thought.

But there was something else there with that name… Something that he felt like he should remember. His blank face did not betray the confusion he felt, however, as he looked at Orochimaru's happy face.

"Good," Orochimaru smiled widely, "Now who do you serve?"

Kakashi blinked, and the response was almost mechanical.

"I do- and always will –serve you, Lord Orochimaru."

And as Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed loudly in grim triumph, Kakashi wondered why- in the back of his mind -something was screaming that what he had just said…

Was horribly, horribly wrong.

…...

"What do you think, Kuraru?" Fang asked his animal companion, bending down to look at the large dog in the face.

Kuraru sniffed the air in a few different directions before gesturing to the left with a small bark. Fang looked in that direction then nodded, giving Kuraru a quick scratch behind his ear:

"Alright. Good job, buddy," He turned around to face the rest of the group, who were scattered in the dense tree cover, "To the west from here, everyone."

"You're positive, Fang?" Raven asked.

"Kuraru's nose doesn't lie," Fang said quickly, almost defensively, "Besides, from the way things are looking, Kakashi's lost a lot of blood… It's not going to be that hard to catch his scent. Even if they've moved him farther away."

Gai chewed on his bottom lip uncomfortably. This was definitely a bittersweet situation for them. It was good because Kakashi's scent could be traced, but at the same time it wasn't very good because the fact that his scent was so evident meant that he had lost a lot of blood… The Green Beast sighed quietly. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse by the second…

"… You doing alright, Gai?" Asuma's quiet but worried voice came from his left.

Gai closed his eyes momentarily before choosing how to answer, "Yes, I'm fine. I suppose I'm just… Tired of this mission… That's all."

Asuma chuckled dryly, "Never thought I'd hear Maito Gai say he was tired of a mission…"

"Why do you ask?"

Asuma's gaze sobered again as he returned his gaze to the path of trees in front of them, "… You've been really quiet for a while now. It's not like you. I was just worried is all," He smirked good-naturedly at his friend.

Gai smiled back softly, his own eyes locked on the path ahead, "Well, although I appreciate the concern, don't bother yourself… I'm just having trouble… Adjusting, is all."

Asuma frowned, "… You mean the news about Kakashi?"

Gai chuckled without humor, "Well, yes and no," Asuma looked puzzled. Gai continued, "I mean… It's missions like these that make me realize… I'm really not ANBU material."

Asuma allowed surprise to settle on his face, caught off guard by the response given. He honestly would never have expected Gai to say something like that… "Not ANBU material? What do you mean by that?"

Gai shook his head, "Never mind, it's nothing."

Asuma's brow furrowed again as Gai turned his full attention back to the path. That was certainly an odd thing to hear Gai say… However… The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"_Gai's really been on edge since the mission started… I just thought that he was worried about Kakashi. Well, we all are, but… He seems to be even more concerned for some reason. And the fact that he said he wasn't ANBU material… Maybe he's referring to the attitude the ANBU have about their missions…" _He took a quick look around the group, "_All of the ANBU here are trained professionals… Even though most of them had strong friendships with Kakashi, they're taught not to show anxiety in such a way that a normal shinobi would. None of them seem to visibly 'care' about what's happened to the man…"_

Asuma looked back over to Gai, "_I guess that's what he meant…" _His eyes glimmered with empathy, "_Gai… He's never been very good at hiding his emotions… This whole thing with Kakashi's probably got his mind running around in circles… He was even there when Kakashi got the Curse Mark… I'm sure he feels guilty about that too… Hanging around a group of people like this who seal most of their emotions away must be making him antsy anyway…"_

Gai, oblivious to his teammate's unfurling of the situation, kept his eyes ahead of him and had to really focus to keep from speeding up ahead of Raven, "_Don't break the formation, Gai… Come on…" _He thought to himself uneasily.

That was another thing about the ANBU that Gai didn't particularly like. The Green Beast was well-known for his almost constant energy during missions. He would always be the one to race forward ahead of the group, challenging everyone else to a race of sorts to see who get there first. That wasn't the case here, though… If he did that now, well… There'd probably be nothing left of him once his teammates got done with him.

The ANBU were too structured for him. And that fact made him all the more anxious.

Gai swore to himself that this would be the last bloody ANBU mission he ever went on.

…...

Naruto fell to his back with a tired gasp, chest heaving. That had been one of the more intense training routines he'd done, not to mention with a practice dummy. However, the young blond shinobi wasn't going to complain; the workout had given him exactly what he wanted: an outlet.

Even after Iruka's encouraging words and story earlier, Naruto couldn't get over the frustration and worry he felt over his sensei's predicament. The more he tried to put it out of his mind, the more he thought about it. It was a never-ending cycle.

So, the Genin decided to try and work off some of his frustration with exercise. It worked most of the time. He would beat up a practice dummy a little and his stress would melt right off of him. He glanced back up at the dummy he had been mercilessly pounding on just seconds before with gave a tired smirk.

"I don't think I've ever done that much damage before," He muttered to himself, "_Yeah, well, your sensei's never been held captive by that snake bastard before," _His mind replied dryly. Naruto frowned. A new feeling of frustration flared up in his system, "_Well, looks like we're back to square one…" _

"Thought you might be out here," A familiarly playful voice said from above him.

"Hm?" Naruto craned his neck up to see a head of spiky white hair smiling down at him, "Pervy Sage!" He rolled around to his knees.

"Hey there Naruto," Jiraiya said cordially, "Been a while, huh?"

"I'll say!" Naruto gave his mentor a smile before allowing confusion to settle on his face, "But… What are you doing back so soon? I thought you were gonna be gone for a while?"

"That was the plan," Jiraiya shrugged, sitting down by his student and leaning against one of the training dummies.

"… So…?" Naruto pressed.

"I heard about Kakashi," Jiraiya offered simply. No use in beating around the bush, he figured.

"Oh…" Naruto's face fell into the frustrated frown that he found himself wearing a lot lately.

The Toad Sage shrugged again, "It is what it is… There's no point in getting so bent outta shape about it."

Naruto sighed and leaned back on the dummy he'd been pummeling earlier. He closed his eyes momentarily, "… Hey Pervy Sage?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think will happen? To Kakashi-sensei I mean."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… What do you think Orochimaru _really _wants with him?"

Jiraiya's gaze narrowed. He thought that was what the boy meant, "It's hard to say, I suppose… Orochimaru's mind has been so warped by greed and power that even I have trouble figuring him out at times…"

Across the clearing in a tree, a spider sat patiently in the middle of its web, watching carefully as an unknowing butterfly came its way. Before it realized what had happened, the butterfly was caught in the spider's death trap, squirming around viciously, trying to escape.

"I heard… I heard that he was going to use Kakashi-sensei for some 'Plan B' or something… What does that mean?" Naruto looked at his mentor with curiosity in his blue eyes.

Jiraiya's eyes locked on the butterfly caught in the spider's web and his eyes narrowed just slightly, "Who knows? No one, really, except for Orochimaru…" He stood up, "Though, in my own personal opinion, I think that 'Plan B' thing is a load of crap," Naruto looked surprised, "But that's just what I think."

By now, Naruto had caught a glimpse of the spider and butterfly, and watched the scene momentarily before turning his head back down to the ground. The sight of the butterfly struggling so viciously made him queasy for some reason, "… What if they're too late?"

Jiraiya realized right away that the boy was referring to the ANBU teams, "Definitely a possibility," Naruto's fists clenched, "But not the only one," The young shinobi looked up at his newest sensei again as he started to walk forward, "But no matter how much worrying we do over it, the outcome won't change. All we can do now is wait… And be patient with the world."

That made Naruto's eyes widen. He suddenly remembered back to something that Kakashi-sensei had told him a few days ago, though it seemed so much longer ago.

"_When you learn to be patient with the world…" _

"If we do that…" Jiraiya continued, arriving at the spider web. He pulled the object apart effortlessly, letting the alive- albeit disoriented -butterfly flutter away, and leaving the spider frustratingly try to scramble onto the tree before his web totally collapsed. Jiraiya turned to Naruto as he shook the sticky web off his hand, smiling, "Then everything should turn out the way it's supposed to."

A gradual smile made its way across the blond ninja's face, and he nodded in agreement. He looked up to see the butterfly flying away. Back to where it belonged, back to its family…

Back to its home.

…...

"This is it!" Fang suddenly exclaimed from the front of the group.

Everyone visibly tensed. Especially the man in the green jumpsuit. Raven immediately took charge, "Where is it Fang?"

"Below us," The man responded, "It's in a small clearing up ahead."

Raven nodded. He held his arm out, and everyone halted in their tracks, "Owl?" He said, more of a command than a question.

The astute man nodded from his position towards the back and held one of his hands up in the sign of the tiger, focusing his chakra, "… Only four of them," He responded, "Chakra levels normal."

"Right," Raven nodded again. His voice suddenly took on a dark tone, "Everyone, prepare for battle."

…...

"It would seem that the Konoha dogs are here, milord," Kabuto said, closing the steel door behind him.

Orochimaru grinned darkly from in front of him, "Fine. Let them come…" His gaze turned to his left, where three men stood loyally, waiting for his instruction, "Kenshin, Masaru."

"Yes, milord!" The two answered in unison, bowing their heads down.

"You two go apprehend the Konoha filth at the entrance. Remember the plan," His eyes glinted as he said the last sentence.

The two nodded their heads together and disappeared before anyone could do as much as blink. Orochimaru glanced back at Kabuto, "Yuuka will be joining us, right Kabuto?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," He tapped his glasses back up his nose, a satisfied smile curving up around his cheeks, "She should be ready in a matter of minutes."

"Good…" the Sannin cooed. He clicked his tongue, "I really do hope she'll stop being such a rebellious little girl," As for you, Kakashi…"

Kakashi lowered himself to one knee as he had done previously, lowering his head in respect, "My lord?"

"You, my newest child, are the star attraction of the whole show…" His laugh bounced off the walls of the room.

For some unexplainable reason, Kakashi's fingers started twitching every time he heard that laugh.

…...

It only took one genjutsu and wind technique from Raven to take out the four ninja stationed in the front of the hideout. He motioned for the rest of the teams to follow him after he was done.

"Show off…" Badger muttered. Asuma chuckled from beside him.

Everyone suddenly split off into the groups they had originally been assigned to, though everyone ran into the base at once. Gai's heart thudded in his chest as they entered the underground facility, having to blink a few times to get his eyes to properly adjust to the dim light.

"It's like a maze in here…" Hiroto commented in somewhat awe as they made their way through.

"Don't be admiring it yet," Fang said from beside Raven, "At least not until we've found Kakashi."

"Which way?" Raven suddenly asked. Speaking of Kakashi…

"Straight ahead," Fang responded, "… Though I have my suspicions…"

"I agree," Raven said, voice lowering, "I don't like this. Nobody's here. Other than the shinobi we ran into at the entrance of course, and they weren't too talented to speak of."

"Whoa, slow down little Leaves!" A playful voice came from behind the northbound team. They turned around in surprise, though not caught off guard. Everyone in every squad immediately brought weapons out and screeched to a halt.

Masaru whistled, "Pretty nifty reaction time, wouldn't you say Kenshin?"

The samurai scoffed, "They are Konoha's 'elite force'. I suppose even elite from that pathetic village can be somewhat adequate."

"I take it you're the one who kidnapped Kakashi…" Panther hissed, glaring at Kenshin.

"That honor _would _belong to me, yes," Kenshin smiled.

"_This is unsettling…" _Raven thought, "_They've placed themselves right between us and the west and eastbound teams. Not only that… But they did it so quickly that we barely noticed…" _His gaze narrowed, "_Their goal must be separation…" _

Gai visibly bristled as Kenshin answered Panther's comment. He acted so damn proud of kidnapping Kakashi and then taking him to one of the sickest bastards in the whole world… What Gai wouldn't give to-

"No, Gai," Raven said quietly, holding a hand out. The Jounin hadn't realized that he had begun to step forward, "Restrain yourself. Though we're probably going to be playing right into their hands, we must move forward. It will do Kakashi no good if we all waste our time with these fools…"

Gai bit his lower lip agitatedly. Raven had a point, damn it…

After one quick glance around the northbound squad, Raven shot forward again, followed immediately by the other members of the team. There was no need for words, as the west and eastbound teams already knew what they were planning.

Masaru laughed, "Well, that was pretty darned rude of them! Oh well, though! She'll still get some fun out of it, won't she?"

Kenshin nodded, "That she will… I almost pity them… Having to take her on after she's had a 'session' with Kabuto…"

Panther and Fox quickly looked at each other once before darting off into separate hallways, their teammates hot on their trails. Once again, there was no need for talking as their plan was obviously clear. Kenshin and Masaru both looked at each other with a smile.

"Which group do you want?"

…...

"Are we getting closer, Fang?" Raven asked again. At this point, even he was getting a little anxious.

"Yes…" Fang nodded. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, though, that nobody liked. Kuraru made a low whining sound. Fang let some breath escape in a hiss, "Yeah, I know…"

"What?" Gai asked nervously.

"Well, you're not gonna believe this, but right now I'm picking up… Two Kakashis."

"What?" Gai's eyes widened.

"How is that possible?" Hiroto asked in shock.

Raven's expression soured, "… I think I know how…" He looked at Fang, "Let me guess: there are two different scents of blood that both smell like Kakashi, but one is much stronger than the other."

Fang nodded, "Spot on…"

"But… What does that mean?" Gai asked.

"That means that only one of these scents is actually Kakashi," Fang elaborated, "The other one is, well… His blood. Fresh blood, nonetheless."

"… Are you thinking the same thing I am, Fang?" Raven asked, in a quieter voice.

"… Yeah… The stronger scent isn't actually Kakashi."

Gai's face scrunched up in disgust as he realized what that statement entailed. His fists clenched in anger. His friend had lost so much blood here that the scent of that blood actually outweighed his own scent…

Fang suddenly gasped, "Stop!"

Gai, shocked out of his reverie, skidded to a stop as did Raven and Hiroto. He quickly took in his surroundings. He hadn't noticed, but they had left a hallway and entered a more square-shaped room. Only two torches lit up this one. Fang stood stone still, staring into one particularly dark corner of the room, where the vague outline of another opening stood.

The rest of the team, oblivious as to why their tracker had stopped so suddenly, noticed movement in front of the outlined opening. Gai squinted. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows and into the limited torchlight.

The shock of silver hair was all they needed to see.

Gai's mouth dropped open in obvious surprise as he took in the sight before him. The man was minus one Jounin vest and Konoha headband, and his clothes were in disarray. A large chunk of the right sleeve of his shirt looked like it had been torn off and bandages covered his arm. That arm seemed to be hanging a little more lifelessly than the other, which made the Jounin nervous. But other than that…

Kakashi looked… Alright. He was standing. That counted for something.

A relived smile crossed Gai's face as he took a step forward, "K-Kakashi… Kakashi, thank God you're alright!"

Raven held an arm out in front of his Jounin teammate and pushed him back, "Hold on, Gai…"

"What?" He obviously wasn't hiding the irritation in his voice, "This is our chance! We can-"

"I don't like his eyes…" Raven interrupted. He looked Kakashi eye to eye and saw…

Nothing. No warmth, no friendliness, not even recognition. His eyes were just blank.

Gai looked at his old friend's eyes as well, and he had to admit, they looked… Different. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. His voice held a note of desperation in it when he next spoke:

"Kakashi, it's me! Gai! And Raven and Fang! Even Hiroto! You remember us, don't you?" He made an attempt to laugh, "Come on; what's with the blank face?"

Kakashi brow furrowed just slightly, "I know none of you," Gai looked like he had just been punched in the stomach. Kakashi crouched into a fighting pose, "But you are enemies of my Lord. And for that reason, you must all die."

**Author's Note:**

**I think I'm coming down with a serious illness… It's called Unable-To-Update-At-A-Reasonable-Time Disease… -.-'**

**Seriously! What is it with me nowadays? O.o Once again, and for the gazillionth time, I'm SO SO sorry about being late with an update. Again. **

**Part of the reason, I think, is because when I get Writer's Block, I get it BAD. Like, really bad. The bad where you stay awake at nights tossing and turning, trying to figure out how you should go about doing the chapter. *sigh* For everyone's sake, I hope I can overcome this horrible condition soon…**

**Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! This was the first of the actual 'Infiltration' chapters, which means we're getting close to the end! (T.T) This was really the introduction chapter; I.e., the one that sets up the battle scenes and intense moments and what not. So, even though it wasn't too action-y, I hope you still liked it! **

**-SPOILERS BELOW!-**

**Writing for Jiraiya made me sad, because he was SUCH a cool character, and they just had to do away with him… Whyyyyy, Kishimoto-san! If you were going to do away with anyone, why couldn't it have been someone uncool, like Sakura! (No offense to those of you who actually like her. I don't. At all. XP) **

**Read n' Review! I've already told you guys how much I appreciate your thoughts! :D**

**Oh! Also! **

**RANDOM POLL TIME!**

**I saw this on someone else's story (I think it was one of Santoryuu-Zoro's…) and I've wanted to do it for a while. Just out of curiosity! Plus I think it'd be fun. XD**

**How old do you think I am? Answer honestly! **

**I'll count up your answers and tell you in the next chappie! ;) **


	26. To Each His Own

**A/N: I've drawn a picture of Yuuka (of the Musashi Order) and put it up on my deviantart page! Just in case you're curious, here's a link!**

**h t t p : / / izuhina – chan . deviantart . com / # / d35fjay**

**(Remove all the spaces of course, because FF is kinda dumb that way… :/ )**

**I may or may not put up more art for this story in the future! So stay tuned! Of course, if any of you are willing to do art…. ;) Really, though, in all seriousness, if any of you are ACTUALLY considering fanart for this story, I would be eternally grateful! But don't feel like you're obligated to do so! **

**Enjoy this chapter, dear readers! :D **

**Reader Reviews for Chapter 25/Recent Reviews**

**Crazy4Zoro: **_(Lovin' the username!) That's awesome! I'm really glad my fic helped you out with ideas for yours! That always makes me happy! :D Thank you very much! _

**Clovers-Charm: **_Wow, thank you SO much! It really means a lot to me to hear that someone really loves what I do here! Ohh, I know! I really hate it when I find a good fic and it's left to die… T.T_

**Arrowachi: **_Hahaha, I'm glad! ^^ Yeah, I have a lot of fun writing for confused mentally tortured Kakashi… :D Thanks a bunch! That's really good to hear! I'm always afraid of how I portray Gai and if everything's up to snuff. Glad you think so!_

**Here Forever: **_Thank you! I'm glad! I hope you like this installment! :)_

**Anon15 (ann.): **_Ehehe… Heh… ^^' Well… It's taken a while, but I have indeed updated!_

**Black Winter Cat: **_Oh I know! Wouldn't we all like to do that to the Orochimaru dummy! :/ But thanks! I'm happy you like it! Thank you for your patience! _

**chirikyubi: **_Buahaha! :D Yes I did. I tend to like to end on cliffhangers a little too much! Thanks a lot! I hope you like this chapter too! _

**kakashifan7 (ann.): **_Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you like this story enough to follow it! And it's the only one you follow! Wow, what an honor! Thanks! :)_

**KyuukiTheAnimeFreak: **_Oh wow, you actually cried? Jeez, I'm sorry! T.T (At the same time, I'm glad my story can elicit that kind of emotion… ) I hope this chapter is to your liking as well! _

**MemoriesOfNobody: **_Thank you! I really appreciate my patient readers! And I'm super happy you like this story! I'll try and be better about updating! _

**Joliette (ann.): **_Hahaha…. Well, I'm really sorry about the late update… ^^' But I hope you like it all the same! Woohoo! Go Kakashi fangirls! :D_

**LunaQuetzal: **_Hahaha! It's like you can read my mind! Actually, yeah, I have to admit, writing for a suffering Kakashi is quite pleasing for me… *sigh* I'm such a sick person… :/ But who knows if he'll ever remember himself? *evil smile*_

**Prescripto13: **_Thank you! I'm really glad you like it! :D Hope you like this one too! _

**Piper Julian: **_Thank you very much! I'm really happy you thought it was well done! Also, thank you for your compliments to me when guessing my age! I really appreciate it! ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! _

**Sora Tayuya: **_Have I ever told you how much I love your reviews, Sora? XD I know! Writing Jiraiya moments saddens me every time… T.T Haha, maybe you're right. Maybe Orochimaru is arrogant. But maybe he actually knows what he's doing. Maybe Kakashi's gone for good… *evil smile (X2)* Hahaha! You know, you're the only one who's commented about how creepy Kabuto is! Though… After this chapter, I'm sure you and a couple other people will have some choice words for him… O.o Thank you very much, as usual! I really appreciate your thoughts! A chapter isn't complete until it gets a comment from Sora-chan! ^0^ _

**Kakashifangirlnumber1000: **_Thank you very much! I'm so glad you still enjoy this story! Hope you like this chapter too! :D _

…

Panther raced down the hallway, the rest of her team right behind her. Her eyes darted from wall to wall as she took in her surroundings. Torches lighting up their path every twenty feet or so, dirt floor, rounded ceiling top.

Typical underground stronghold.

However, that fact worried her. She didn't know Orochimaru personally, but from what she had gathered, he enjoyed complicated processes and making his enemies struggle. This place was far too simple-looking; not at all what she'd originally imagined.

"He's gaining!" Came Badger's harsh voice from the back of the group.

"Which one?" Panther asked.

"The samurai!"

"What should we do, Panther?" Asuma asked uneasily, "We can't just keep running from him! We don't even know our way down here!"

"I know that," Panther snapped, "He has a clear advantage over us."

"So what?" Badger growled, "I say we stop right now and fight! We've got him outnumbered anyway!" The strain in his voice made it perfectly clear that he wanted to take on Kenshin himself.

"I would rather not be so reckless, but it looks like we don't have much of a choice!" The leader said distastefully, skidding to a halt. The team followed shortly after. Panther's eyes narrowed behind her mask as Kenshin's shadow moved around the corner:

"Alright, ANBU… Let's be swift!"

…...

"Shit!" Fox swore sharply under his breath as he cart wheeled to the wall in an effort to dodge the fourth set of Masaru's attacks. He winced, only slightly, as two long gashes appeared on his arm and side. So much for dodging…

The group leader panted hard as he quickly took his squad into account. Phoenix tried his best to ward off incoming attacks with senbon, though they did him little good. Genma did the same, trying to approach it from a more strategic standpoint and dodge as many as he could. Owl stood steadfast, taking attacks as they came his way and trying to get close enough to land a solid hit on Masaru.

Trouble was, that was virtually impossible at the moment.

Fox's eyes suddenly widened behind his mask as he felt a gust of wind and just managed to jump away before the attack was able to cut too deeply into his shoulder.

Masaru laughed hysterically from the other side of the squad, "Ooh, lucky! If you had moved one second slower, I woulda lopped your arm right off!"

"Fox," Genma mumbled in a low voice.

"Fine, Shiranui. I'm fine," The man stood up all the way, fists clenched tightly.

How were they supposed to do this? This shinobi was such an advanced wind user, that it seemed he could _attack_ with just the wind itself. When compressed, it made for an incredibly lethal weapon. Something the Eastbound squad had recently learned too well… Not only that, but he was fast. Faster than anything Fox had ever seen before. It sounded crazy, but… It was like this man was the human embodiment of wind.

Masaru sighed and put his hands behind his head, "Well this is no fun! Come on, you guys! You're supposed to be the best the Leaf Village has to offer! Is this really it?"

"Go to hell," Genma hissed between the senbon in his mouth.

Phoenix chuckled, "Well wouldn't ya know? I was just thinking the same thing."

Masaru's eyebrow twitched in irritation for only a moment before his face settled into a calm demeanor. Far too calm for the situation they were all in. He abruptly sat down on the floor cross-legged. Dust spread around him in clouds.

The squad tensed, "What's wrong?" Phoenix asked with a sardonic voice, "Tired?"

"I'm waiting."

"… Waiting?" Fox replied uneasily.

"Yeah. Waiting."

"For what, exactly?"

Masaru's crooked grin took up almost his entire face, "For you to start running."

"And what makes you think we're going to run?" Genma asked.

"You're going to run. And I'm going to chase you. I'll be more entertaining. I always like to see my prey squirm. Now…" He rested his chin in the palm of one of his hands. His eyes flashed with an intent that the ANBU recognized as completely murderous.

"Make my day."

"_He's giving a chance for us to run…" _Fox thought. His gaze narrowed, _"Because he knows he can win. As much as I hate to think about it, running just might be our best option… But can we? How? How are we supposed to outrun someone…_

_Who's as fast as the wind?"_

…

"_I ser-… -ord Oro-maru…"_

"… _I… Se…rve…L-ord… -maru…"_

"_I… I…"_

"_Come now, I know you can say it… You want to say it… You know it," A voice slithered into her ear, "Do I need to give you more?" _

_She sobs. Shudders. He smiles._

"_I… S-Serve…L-L-Lord Orochimaru…"_

"_Now now… That won't do, will it? You have to say it with more conviction that that."_

_It enters her blood again. She feels it coursing through her veins. Each drop has a heartbeat of its own. Twenty heartbeats coursing through her brain. _

_Her body rocks up and down. Shakes violently._

_Pain… Pain… Pain… PAIN._

_A knife plunges into her wrist. Another into her ankle. Another into her knee. Another into her jugular. _

_She screams. Screams as loud as she can until screams won't come any more. She can't hear herself. _

_Too painful to scream any more… _

_One phrase echoing through her head through the pain: "I serve Lord Orochimaru. I serve Lord Orochimaru." _

_Suddenly the pain is all sucked from her body in an instant, and she convulses from the shock. Her fingers and legs tingle, tremble…_

"_Are you ready to try again?" A voice maliciously sweet. And it makes her cry. It makes her afraid._

_She doesn't remember how to nod her head. Her brain says nod but her body only twitches and curls up into a ball. _

"_What is your purpose on this earth?" _

_She freezes. Her eyes widen. Answer the question! Answer the question! Dear God, answer the question! When you don't answer, the pain comes! It kills! It KILLS! _

_She squeaks when she opens her mouth at first, "I serve…" With conviction! Do as he says! Do you want to die again? "I serve! _

_I serve Lord Orochimaru! My only purpose on this earth is to serve him! I am a lowly pawn! I don't have the right to speak out against him! I will repent, repent!" Tears fall from her eyes in a flood as she speaks. _

_Through the blurry vision, she can make out a long curved smile. It belongs to the malicious voice. _

"_Good girl. I knew you would come around. Once you get yourself put together, carry out the plan. You already know what you have to do." _

_She whimpers and curls up into a ball again. Her body still won't stop trembling. She nods her head in affirmation as her brain begins to send correct signals to her body again. _

_The malicious voice chuckles. A bright light pours into the black room as the door is opened. _

_Yuuka whimpers._

_As he leaves, Kabuto pushes his glasses up to his nose with a satisfied smirk. _

…

Gai blinked in shock, watching Kakashi get down into a familiar fighting pose. As the words his rival spoke sunk in, his face turned red with fury, "Your _Lord? _What in the hell are you talking about Kakashi? Get serious! This isn't funny!"

"He doesn't think it's a joke, Gai," Raven spoke solemnly. He studied Kakashi's face with a scrutinizing gaze, "I told you, there's something wrong with his eyes."

"… _Gai?"_

"Kakashi, please-" Gai began again.

"_And… ANBU…?"_

"You are all threats to Lord Orochimaru. You must be dealt with," The Copy Ninja spoke adamantly.

"_Shit… No… You have to run!"_

Gai's fists clenched in absolute anger. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Kakashi did NOT just refer to Orochimaru as he 'Lord'! Something was wrong! This wasn't the Kakashi he knew! It was so frustrating! The man they were sent to rescue was right here in front of them and they couldn't even take him back!

"Orochimaru's handiwork, I'm guessing," Fang suggested sourly.

"More than likely," Hiroto said, "The sannin is a powerful but twisted man. It wouldn't be beyond him to take control of a person's mind."

"Brainwashing, huh?" Fang mumbled.

"That would make sense I suppose," Raven mused.

"_Damnit, run! I can't control-!"_

"Enough talk," Kakashi suddenly stated. His left eye opened. The group tensed just seconds before the Jounin launched forward to strike. They scattered.

The punch that Kakashi threw didn't hit any of the squad. Instead it hit the floor. And the rocks shattered underneath its force.

The Northbound team all took in startled gasps of breath, "W-What the hell?" Fang cursed in confusion.

"Something's wrong, it has to be," Raven said quickly as he landed back on his feet and avoided debris, "It would be unthinkable for Kakashi to be able to do that normally!"

"_Oh no… This… This heat…"_

Suddenly Kakashi was right in front of Raven. The leader's eyes widened under his mask, _"How-?" _Kakashi delivered a series of kick's that sent the man flying back to the wall with a loud grunt. Snaps and a strange sizzling sound echoed throughout the room.

"Raven!" Gai shouted urgently.

Fang groaned agitatedly, "Gai, check on him! Hiroto, back me up! Kuraru!" The ninja hound gave a low resounding growl before transforming into a clone of Fang. The two of them launched at Kakashi in a powerful vortex, "Fang Over Fang!"

Kakashi quickly brought up his arms to defend himself, though he was still pushed back by the sheer force of the duo attack. What remained of the sleeves of his shirt was torn to shreds- along with his bandages –and he hit the wall with a loud crack.

"_Escape! Now!"_

"Sorry Kakashi," Hiroto quickly apologized before rolling his right sleeve up to reveal the sound device he created. He held it up with trained expertise and honed the sound onto Kakashi's location.

Kakashi, who had just begun to recover from Fang's attack, was forced back down to the ground by the sudden horrible pressure on his ears. They hurriedly became warm with blood as the silver-haired man tried in vain to get up again.

Gai ran over to Raven, kneeling down by the man, "Are you alright?"

Raven, using both the wall and Gai for support, hoisted himself up and held his stomach with a hand, "I believe so…" He grunted, "A few broken ribs, for sure. But other than…"

"What? What's wrong?" Gai noticed how his teammate's speech had slowly come to a stop.

"I…" Raven removed the hand from his stomach. His silver ANBU vest was charred black, "I've been burned…"

"Wha-You mean...? You don't think…" Gai looked over to where his rival was being held down by Hiroto, "You don't think… Kakashi did that to you… How could he?"

"I'm… Not sure," Raven muttered, "But it bothers me. We need to get him out of here Gai. And back in his right mind."

"… Right," The Green Beast agreed, "How do we do that? _We can't just keep fighting him like this. On a good day, if he was serious, Kakashi could probably take on all four of us and defeat at least three of us. I don't really know what kind of condition he's in now, but… These new abilities he has. And this twisted mindset… It doesn't bode well for anyone here._"

"I'm not sure yet," The leader admitted, standing up straight. His injury seemed to be ignored, "But we have to find some way."

"That's not possible," A voice came from the hall they entered in.

"_That voice…"_

As all of their heads turned to see who walked in, a cylinder of flames shot out right at Hiroto. Alarmed, the man jumped out of the way, releasing his hold on Kakashi. The rest of the squad ducked to the walls, trying to avoid the intense heat of the flame.

As soon as the heat died down, the squad got into battle positions, "Identify yourself!" Raven demanded.

Their attacker stepped into the room all of the way. Red eyes and flaming orange hair greeted them, "Second born of the Musashi Order: Yuuka Fukodosei," Her eyes flared with anger and contempt as she spotted Kakashi regaining his lost footing on the other side of the room. Her face screwed up into a look of disgust.

"You…" She uttered with enough hatred for two people, "Have you been defeated already?" The Northbound team was shocked into a stupor as they felt themselves starting to physically sweat. The temperature in the room was rising exponentially. Yuuka continued her verbal onslaught, "Are you that weak? You, the Fourth Born, the favorite! Lord Orochimaru _trusts _you more than anyone else! And yet, what do you think would've happened if I hadn't shown up just now? You'd be beaten!" She scoffed, an evil smile appearing on her face. The temperature in the room grew faster, "Maybe I should just kill you now… Save Lord Orochimaru the trouble."

… _Why is she still so jealous…?_

A fist suddenly collided with Yuuka's face. With a surprised grunt, she was knocked to the floor. The temperature began to cool. Gai pulled his fist back with a sneer.

"I may not know entirely what's going on here... But I do know that Kakashi's a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves; a damn good one too," His eyes flashed with anger, "and I will _not _let you insult him."

_Heh… Typical… Always have to be the shining star, don't you?_

Yuuka hoisted herself up slowly. Flames began to sprout up around her, "You son of a bitch…" She said darkly, "How DARE you," She looked up at the squad with a twisted smile, "You may _think _that he's the Kakashi you know, but he's not! Lord Orochimaru has made him one of his children! He's not who you think he is! This isn't some fairytale! He can't just 'get better', and you can't just 'fix' him! It's impossible!"

Now it was Raven's turn to launch forward at Yuuka. The woman was prepared this time, though, and simple threw him off of her with a good amount of force.

"Fang, Isamu!" The two called were alert immediately, "You're with me!" He turned his attention back to the furious woman in front of him, "And you, miss, are fighting us," Fang and Hiroto fell into place beside Raven, effectively blocking her off from Kakashi and Gai.

Gai looked surprised, "Raven!"

Yuuka scowled, appraised her surroundings, and then laughed, "Really? The three of you? Fine," Her eyes smoldered, "You'll hardly be a match for me."

"Fang," Raven sad quickly.

"Right," No sooner had he said it than Kuraru transformed into clone of him again, "Fang Over Fang!" The attack surprised Yuuka who, like Kakashi, was able to block it, though it pushed her back into the hallway where they came from.

Hiroto received a nod from Raven before pulling up his sound device again. The waves began reverberating off the walls, and soon the rock of the wall began to crack and crumble, "It's about to go, Raven!"

"Right," The squad leader nodded. He looked over his shoulder, "Gai. I know you know what you have to do. It's a tough task, but I know you can do it," He turned his back to the Green Beast, "We're bringing him back to the village Gai. Even if we have to drag him there."

_No… Stop… You've got to stop._

"I know," Gai nodded. He gave his signature thumbs up and smile combo, "You can count on me! I'll get Kakashi to come around! You all just stay alive."

_This… This is Gai. He's not an enemy!_

"Will do," Raven nodded right before running through to the hallways with Hiroto right as the sound waves caused a wave of rock to cave in the entrance.

_Goddamnit! _

Gai faced Kakashi with a frown on his face. His rival was simply standing there, staring at him. Appraising him. It looked like the man was already breathing pretty hard for the short fight he had just been in, "_Come on Kakashi… Don't make this difficult. We need to get you home."_

_You can't fight him! If you do, you'll just speed up the process! _

Kakashi went down into another fighting stance. Gai did the same, "If you're not going to hold back, than neither will I, Eternal Rival!" He smiled, "Just don't complain if I kick your butt!"

_I'm sorry, Gai… _

**Author's Note**

… **Okay, I think it's safe to say that I have no excuse for why I haven't updated in… *checks story* 5 months… Ahh! That number just makes me sick to my stomach! I'm so ashamed! -.- I'm really sorry, dear readers! I've gotten so many messages asking me if this is a dead fic, and it makes me sad, because it's definitely not a dead fic! :( **

**Rest assured, I will keep going with this story until it is DONE. You have my word. So, in short, so very, very, very sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you guys had to go back and reread the whole story just to remember what happened. And please do! If that'll help you understand the story more, please do it! **

**Oh, by the way… I didn't think about Fang being an Inuzuka until this chapter. I mean, I always knew it my head that he was an Inuzuka, but I kinda did a facepalm when I had him attack Kakashi and Yuuka. "… Fang Over Fang…? Wow." Pretty literal! XP So there's no pun intended there, but if you wish to interpret it as such, please feel free to do so. ^^**

**POLL RESULTS TIME!**

**This is for the 'How Old Do You Think I Am?' poll that I put up last chapter! And heeeere are the results! What I'll do is put the age and then the amount of people who guessed that age. **

**16 - 1**

**17 - 2**

**18 - 2**

**19 - 1**

**20 – 2**

**23 – 1 **

**And the correct answer iiiiiiis…**

**I'm sixteen years old! ^^ (Congrats to Clovers-Charm! You were the one who guessed right!)**

**I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty fun to see how old other people thought I was based on my writing. Kinda encouraging actually! :O So thank you to all who participated in this pointless little poll! **

**Read n' Review! As always, I love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for supporting me! :D You guys are the best! **


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